THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

BEQUEST  OF 

Alice  R.   Hilgard 


A  BUDDHIST  CATECHISM 


A  BUDDHIST  CATECHISM 

AN  OUTLINE  OF  THE  DOCTRINE  OF 
THE  BUDDHA  GOT.iMA 

^n  tje  form  of  ^xu&twn  ani  Stufitoer 

COMPILED    FROM    THE   SACRED    WRITINGS   OF    THE 

SOUTHERN  BUDDHISTS  FOR  THE  USE  OF 

EUROPEANS 


WITH 

EXPLANATORY  NOTES 


BY 

subhAdra  bhikshu 


NEW  YORK 

BRENTANO'S 

1920 


Gin 


PKINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


PREFACE 

There  have  appeared  of  late  years,  on  the  subject 
of  Buddhism,  a  great  many  comprehensive  and 
critical  works,  none,  perhaps  it  may  be  said,  of 
more  value  than  F.  W.  Rhys  David's  essay;  but 
yet  no  simple  exposition,  suited  to  the  general  in- 
telligence, and  setting  forth  the  sublime  doctrine 
of  the  Buddha  Gotama,  not  as  though  a  system  no 
longer  active,  but  as  a  yet  living  source  of  pure 
truth  accessible,  still,  to  all  men  athirst  for  spirit- 
ual knowledge  and  abundant  to  satisfy  that 
thirst. 

Of  this  sort  the  Buddhist  Catechism  of  Henry 
S.  Olcott  affords  the  earliest  example.  It  had 
a  surprising  success.  Originally  intended  only  for 
the  instruction  of  Singalese  children,  it  was 
scarcely  suited  to  the  highly  educated  European 
reader.  Nevertheless,  within  a  few  years,  many 
thousand  copies  were  sold,  a  sufficient  proof  of 
the  inoreasing  interest  taken  in  Buddhism  by  the 
Western  world.  Hence  it  becomes  incumbent  on 
the  Buddha's  disciples  to  put  forth  a  Catechism 
suited  to  the  intelligent  appreciation  of  educated 
populations,  and  containing  in  a  compendious 
form  the  essential  doctrine  of  the  Teacher, 
stripped  of  the  trappings  with  which  the  super- 

5 

ivi854248 


6  PREFACE 

stition  and  childish  conceptions  of  Eastern 
peoples  had,  in  the  long  course  of  ages,  sought 
to  adorn  it. 

That  is  the  aim  of  our  little  book.  It  is  ad- 
dressed to  those  for  whom  material  progress  and 
augmented  means  of  luxury  do  not  constitute  the 
goal  of  life,  and  to  whom  the  prevalent  cruel  strife 
for  the  possession  of  worldly  goods  and  grandeur, 
which  the  general  selfishness  makes  each  day  more 
pitiless,  is  abhorrent;  who  long  for  that  peace  of 
the  heart  and  satisfaction  of  the  understanding 
which  alone  give  life  its  value,  and  who  fail  to  find 
these  things  in  the  soulless  dogmas  of  the  various 
Churches,  or  even  in  the  results  displayed,  with 
whatever  ostentation,  by  physical  science. 

For  such  this  Buddhist  Catechism  is  written; 
and  if  they  read  it  aright  and  catch  its  spirit,  they 
will  find  in  it  what  they  have  been  seeking:  a 
doctrine  free  from  dogma  and  from  formalism 
in  entire  harmony  with  Nature  and  her  laws ;  the 
grandest  truths,  satisfying  alike  to  mind  and  heart, 
expressed  in  simple  terms,  intelligible  to  the 
humblest  capacity,  yet  of  a  significance  so  pro- 
found as  not  to  be  within  easy  sounding  even  by 
the  philosophic  and  scientific  European,  with  al5. 
his  high  culture  and  all  his  intellectual  resources. 

One  remark,  however,  is  called  for  here.  A 
Catechism  meant  for  learners  and  beginners  must 
of  necessity  be  restricted  in  compass,  and  cannot, 
even  so  far  as  complete,  extend  to  the  exposition 
of  principles  in  their  last  inferences. 


PREFACE  7 

Let  those,  then,  who  aspire  to  a  fuller  and  com- 
pleter knowledge,  who  not  only  wish  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  doctrine  but  to  carry  it  out 
in  the  life,  seek  to  make  progress  by  their  own 
meditations,  and  by  personal  communion  with 
those  already  in  advance  of  them  upon  the  way 
here  pointed  out. 

May  the  light  of  the  world-illuminating  Truth 
which,  at  this  present,  from  the  far  East,  whence 
all  light  arises,  beams  upon  these  Western  lands, 
spread  ever  more  and  more  widely  for  the  weal, 
the  salvation,  the  redemption  of  all  mankind. 

SUBHADRA  BhIKSHU. 


A  BUDDHIST  CATECHISM 

INTRODUCTION 

1.  0/  what  religion  (^  are  you? 
Of  the  Buddhist  religion. 

2.  What  is  the  Buddhist  religion? 

One  who  reveres  the  Buddha  as  the  dispenser 
of  spiritual  light,  the  supreme  guide  and  teacher 
of  all  living  beings;  who  believes  his  doctrine, 
observes  its  precepts,  and  has  given  public  and 
solemn  testimony  to  this,  by  repeating  what  is 
called  the  "Refuge"  formula. 

3.  What  are  the  words  of  the  formula  or  declara- 

tion so  called? 
They  are  as  follows: 

I  take  my  refuge  in  the  Buddha. 
I  take  my  refuge  in  the  doctrine  (Dhamma). 
I  take  my  refuge  in  the  Brotherhood  of  the 
Elect  (Sangha). 

4.  What  is  the  solemn  repetition  of  this  formula 

meant  to  express? 
He  who  utters  the  formula,  publicly  affirms  by 
so  doing  that  he  henceforth  considers  the  Buddha 
his  master  and  guide,  acknowledges  the  sacred 

9 


10  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

doctrine  to  be  the  foundation  and  essence  of  all 
truth  and  righteousness,  and  declares  the  Brother- 
hood of  the  Elect  to  be  the  true  and  faithful  fol- 
lowers, teachers,  and  interpreters  of  this  doctrine. 

5.  Is  this  formula  obligatory  on  all  Buddhists? 
On  all  without  exception,  whether  they  belong 

to  the  Buddhist  laity  or  to  the  Brotherhood  of  the 
Elect,  who  have  embraced  the  life  of  a  Bhikshu. 
He  alone  who  has  repeated  the  formula  of  Refuge, 
before  a  congregation  or  its  representatives,  is 
really  a  member  of  the  Buddhist  community. 

6.  How  should  this  Holy  Triad  (threefold  Safe- 

guard), which  the  Buddhist  professes  to  be 
his  refuge,  be  called? 
The  three  guiding  stars.  For  as  the  stars  of 
heaven  guide  the  lonely  mariner  across  the  dark 
and  tempestuous  sea,  so  they  guide  him,  who 
trusts  in  them,  across  the  desert  ocean  of  igno- 
rance, passion  and  worldly  desire,  into  the  haven 
of  eternal  peace  (Nirvana).  Therefore  the  Bud- 
dhist, full  of  trust,  of  gratitude  and  veneration, 
looks  up  to  these  three  guiding  stars,  fervently 
repeating: 

Reverence  to  the  Blessed  One,  who  has  over- 
come    the     world,     the    self-enlightened 
supreme  Buddha. 
Reverence  to  the  holy,  pure,  and  saving  doc- 
trine. 
Reverence  to  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect. 


THE  BUDDHA 

7.  Who  is  the  Buddha? 

The  Founder  of  the  kingdom  of  righteousness 
and  truth,  the  Self -enlightened  Blessed  One,  per- 
fect in  holiness,  wisdom,  and  mercy. 

8.  Is  the  Buddha  a  God,  who  has  revealed  him- 

self to  mankind? 

No. 

9.  Or  one  sent  by  God  to  come  into  the  world  to 

bring  salvation? 

No. 

10.  Then  he  was  a  man? 

Yes;  but  a  man  far  superior  to  ordinary  men, 
one  of  a  series  of  self-enlightened  sublime  Bud- 
dhas,  who  appear  at  long  intervals  in  the  world, 
and  are  morally  and  spiritually  so  superior  to  err- 
ing, suffering  mankind,  that  to  the  childlike  con- 
ceptions of  the  multitude  they  appear  as  Gods  or 
Messiahs. 

11.  /s  Buddha  a  proper  name? 

No;  Buddha  means  a  mental  state  or  con- 
dition. 

11 


12  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

12.  What  is  the  meaning  oj  the  word  Buddha? 
It  means  the  Enlightened;  it  signifies  a  man 

who  by  his  own  exertions,  has  attained  supreme 
knowledge  and  moral  perfection. 

13.  What  was  the  Buddha's  real  name? 

At  his  birth  the  name  of  Siddhartha  was  given 
him.    His  family  name  was  Gotama. 

14.  Who  were  his  parents? 

King  Suddhodana  and  Queen  Maya. 

15.  What   people   did   King   Suddhodana   reign 

over? 
He    reigned    over    the    Indian    tribe    of    the 
Sakyas.(^) 

16.  When  was  Prince  Siddhartha  born? 

He  was  born  on  a  Friday,  in  the  year  623  before 
the  European  era. 

17.  Was  his  lojty  destiny  in  any  way  foretold? 
Yes;  it  was  foretold  by  the  Brahmans,  who 

were  the  priests  and  astrologers  at  King  Suddho- 
dana's  court. 

18.  What  were  their  predictions? 

If  Prince  Siddhartha  continues  in  the  world  he 
will  become  a  mighty  monarch,  a  king  of  kings; 
but  if  he  renounces  the  world  to  lead  a  contempla- 
tive life,  he  will  become  a  supreme  Buddha. 

19.  Was  this  the  only  prediction  concerning  Prince 

Siddhartha' s  fu  ture  ? 
No;  the  holy  recluse  Kaladevala  (^)  came  down 
from  the  wilds  of  the  Himalaya,  prostrated  himself 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  13 

before  the  child,  and  said:  ''Verily  this  child  will 
become  a  supreme  Buddha,  and  will  show  men  the 
way  to  perfection  and  salvation."  And  he  wept  to 
think  that  he  should  not  himself  live  to  see  the 
day. 

20.  Was  King  Suddhodana  glad  to  liear  this  pre- 
diction? 

No;  on  the  contrary,  he  tried  by  all  possible 
means  to  prevent  its  coming  to  pass;  his  utmost 
desire  was  that  Prince  Siddhartha  should  become 
a  mighty  monarch. 

21.  By  what  means  did  he  try  to  gain  his  object? 
He  kept  out  of  the  prince's  sight  everything  that 

might  have  given  him  an  idea  of  human  suffering 
and  death.  He  surrounded  him  with  every  enjoy- 
ment and  royal  luxury.  Meantime  the  best  mas- 
ters had  to  instruct  him  in  all  arts  and  sciences  and 
princely  accomplishments.  When  Prince  Sidd- 
hartha was  grown  up  his  father  gave  him  three 
palaces,  one  for  each  of  the  Indian  seasons  —  the 
hot,  the  cold,  and  the  rainy  season.  These  palaces 
were  fitted  up  with  every  imaginable  luxury,  and 
surrounded  with  beautiful  gardens  and  groves, 
where  grottoes,  fountains,  lakes,  all  lovely  with  the 
lotus,  and  beds  of  fragrant  flowers  lent  enchant- 
ment to  the  scene.  In  this  delightful  abode  the 
prince  passed  his  young  life,  but  he  was  not 
allowed  to  go  beyond  the  boundaries,  and  all  poor, 
sick  and  aged  people  were  strictly  forbidden  en- 
trance. 


14  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

22.  Did  Prince  Siddhartha  live  quite  by  himselj 
in  these  palaces  and  gardens? 

No.  A  great  number  of  young  nobles  were  in 
attendance  on  him,  and  when  he  was  sixteen  his 
father  gave  him  to  wife  Princess  Yasodhara,  the 
daughter  of  King  Suprabuddha.  Many  beautiful 
maidens,  too,  trained  in  the  arts  of  music  and 
dancing,  were  always  in  waiting  for  his  amuse- 
ment. 

23.  How  could  the  idea  of  leaving  the  world  occur 

to  the  prince  amidst  all  these  delights? 
During  his  drives  he  saw  four  most  impressive 
sights  which  enlightened  him  as  to  the  real  nature 
of  human  life. 

24.  What  were  these  sights? 

A  decrepit  old  man,  broken  down  by  infirmity; 
a  sick  man,  covered  with  sores;  a  decaying  body 
and  a  venerable  hermit. 

25.  What  impressions  did  these  visions  make  on 
Prince  Siddhartha? 

They  moved  him  to  the  heart's  core,  and  showed 
him  the  utter  vanity  and  nothingness  of  life.  Its 
deceptive,  transitory  pleasures,  to  be  followed  by 
old  age,  sickness  and  death,  had  no  longer  any 
attraction  for  him.  Henceforth  he  discarded  all 
amusements,  and  he  came  to  the  conviction  that 
life  is  not  a  gift  to  be  desired,  but  rather  an  evil 
to  be  avoided,  and  that  it  is  unworthy  of  our 
higher  nature  to  seek  for  sensual  enjoyment.    All 


A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  15 

his  efforts  were  now  directed  towards  the  attain- 
ment of  a  higher  aim.(*) 

26.  What  was  the  aimf 

To  find  out  the  cause  of  suffering,  of  death,  and 
of  birth-renewal, (^)  and  to  discover  the  means  of 
overcoming  it.  In  imitation  of  the  venerable 
recluse  he  had  met,  he  resolved  to  retire  from  the 
world  into  the  wilderness. 

27.  Was  it  a  great  trial  jor  him  to  carry  out  his 
resolution? 

Yes;  for  he  had  to  give  up  all  that  is  generally 
the  most  prized  by  men:  royalty,  riches,  power, 
honour,  delights,  and  even  the  companionship  of 
his  beloved  wife  and  his  infant  son  Rahula. 

28.  Did  his  father  and  his  wife  try  to  dissuade 
him  from  this  purpose? 

He  kept  them  in  ignorance  of  his  designs  and 
went  away  secretly  for  fear  the  entreaties  of  his 
aged  father  and  the  tears  of  his  wife  might  make 
him  swerve  from  his  resolve. (^) 

29.  How  did  he  effect  his  escape? 

One  night,  when  everybody  was  asleep,  he  softly 
got  up,  took  a  last  parting  look  at  his  wife  and 
child,  woke  up  his  attendant  Channa,  ordered  him 
to  saddle  his  favourite  horse  Kanthaka,  and  rode 
away.  The  sentry  at  the  gate  did  not  notice  him, 
and  he  hastened  off  in  the  darkness  as  fast  as  his 
horse  could  carry  him. 


16  A   BUDDHIST  CATECHISM 

30.  How   old  was  Prince  Siddhartha  when   he 

retired  into  the  jungle? 
He  was  in  his  twenty-ninth  year. 

31.  Where  did  he  first  go  to? 

To  the  river  Anoma.  There  he  cut  off  his 
beautiful  long  hair  with  his  sword,  and  gave  in 
charge  to  the  faithful  Channa  his  arms,  his  jewels, 
and  his  horse,  to  take  them  back  to  Kapilvasthu, 
and  to  tell  the  king  and  the  princess  what  had 
become  of  him.  After  Channa's  departure,  Sidd- 
hartha passed  seven  days  near  the  banks  of  the 
river  Anoma,  lost  in  deep  meditation,  and  rejoicing 
to  have  taken  the  first  and  all-important  step  in 
the  attainment  of  knowledge,  and  to  have  cast  off 
the  shackles  of  a  worldly  life.  He  then  exchanged 
clothes  with  a  passing  beggar,  and  proceeded  to 
Rajagriha,  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of 
Magadha. 

32.  Why  did  he  go  there? 

There  were  two  Brahmans  living  there,  Alara 
and  Uddaka,  both  reputed  to  be  very  wise  and 
holy  men.  He  became  their  disciple,  under  the 
name  of  Gotama. 

33.  What  did  theij  teach? 

They  taught  that  the  soul  may  be  purified  by 
prayer,  sacrifices,  and  various  other  religious  obser- 
vances; and  may  thus,  by  divine  mercy,  attain 
redemption. 


A  BUDDHIST  CATECHISM  17 

34.  Did  Gotama  find  what  he  sought? 

No;  he  learnt  all  these  Brahmans  could  teach 
him,  and  joined  in  all  their  religious  exercises 
without  gaining  the  knowledge  he  sought ;  and  he 
became  convinced  that  their  teaching  could  not 
ensure  him  deliverance  from  suffering,  death,  and 
birth-renewal. 

35.  What  did  he  do  after  this  failure? 

There  were  other  Brahmans,  who  taught  that 
deliverance  could  be  attained  by  a  mere  process 
of  self-mortification.  Gotama  made  up  his  mind 
to  practise  asceticism  in  its  severest  form,  and  for 
that  purpose  he  retired  into  a  jungle  not  far  from 
Uruvela,  where,  in  utter  solitude,  he  gave  himself 
up  to  all  kinds  of  penances  and  tortures.  (0  The 
fame  of  his  sanctity  soon  began  to  spread,  and  he 
was  joined  by  five  other  ascetics,  who,  full  of 
admiration  for  his  fortitude  and  perseverance, 
remained  with  him,  in  the  sure  conviction  that 
such  a  life  of  self-mortification  would  lead  him 
speedily  to  the  attainment  of  supreme  knowledge 
and  perfection.  Then  they  would  become  his 
disciples. 

36.  What  are  the  names  of  these  five  ascetics? 
Kondanya,  Bhaddiya,  Vappa,  Mahanama,  and 

Assaji. 

37.  How  long  did  Gotama  remain  in  the  wilder- 

ness near  Uruvela? 
Upwards  of  six  years.    His  bodily  strength  at 
last  gave  way  under  these  continued  self-inflic- 


18  A    BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

tions,  vigils,  and  fastings,  but  he  did  not  relax. 
One  night,  when,  lost  in  deep  meditation,  he  was 
pacing  up  and  down,  he  suddenly  fell  down, 
utterly  exhausted,  in  a  fainting  fit.  His  compan- 
ions thought  he  was  dying,  but  he  soon  revived 


38.  Did  he  nevertheless  persevere  in  his  ascetic 

life? 
No.  He  was  now  convinced  that  asceticism, 
instead  of  giving  him  the  peace  of  mind  and  the 
knowledge  he  desired,  was  only  a  stumbling-block 
in  the  way  of  truth  and  moral  perfection. (^)  He 
discontinued  his  fastings  and  penances,  and  was  in 
consequence  deserted  by  his  companions  as  an 
apostate. 

39.  Did  Gotama  despair  of  reaching  his  end? 
No,  not  for  a  moment.  Left  entirely  to  him- 
self and  his  own  devices,  he  determined  to  follow 
henceforward  exclusively  his  own  inner  light.  He 
abandoned  all  his  ascetic  practices,  and,  whilst 
restraining  worldly  thought  and  desire,  was  intent 
alone  on  the  highest  development  of  his  moral 
and  mental  faculties.  One  night  he  was  apprised, 
in  prophetic  dreams,  that  he  was  approaching  the 
goal.  He  awoke,  bathed  in  the  river  Niranjara, 
and  took  some  boiled  rice,  presented  to  him  by 
a  young  maiden  named  Sujata.  He  spent  the 
whole  day  in  deep  meditation  near  the  bank  of 
the  river.    Towards  evening  he  sat  down  beneath 


A   BUDDHIST    CATECHISM  19 

a  mighty  Nigrodha-tree,(^)  that  stood  not  far  off, 
and  there  remained  sitting  with  his  face  to  the 
East,  firmly  resolved  not  to  leave  the  spot  until 
he  had  attained  supreme  knowledge  and  under- 
standing. Here  it  was  that  he  won  the  victory 
after  a  final  struggle,  the  fiercest  of  all. 

40.  IT7ia^  struggle? 

The  struggle  against  human  wishes  and  desires, 
which  came  back  upon  him  with  renewed  force, 
though  he  had  supposed  himself  to  have  gained 
already  a  complete  mastery  over  them:  the 
struggle  against  delusions  and  love  of  existence, 
against  that  craving,  that  will  to  live,  which  is  the 
motive  power  of  our  being  and  the  chief  source 
of  all  our  sufferings.  The  charms  of  wealth  and 
power,  and  honour  and  glory,  the  sweet  delights  of 
home  and  love,  and  aU  the  enjoyments  which  the 
world  has  in  store  for  its  favorites,  began  to  glow 
again  in  their  most  brilliant  light.  An  agonizing 
doubt  seized  upon  him.  But  Gotama  never 
wavered  in  his  resolve,  rather  to  die  than  to  give 
up  his  high  purpose.  He  wrestled  with  those 
terrible  emotions,  and  was  victorious.  The  last 
remnants  of  human  frailty  and  of  worldly  desire 
were  consumed  in  him.  Then  the  deep  peace  of 
Nirvana  entered  his  heart,  and  the  full  light  of 
truth  rose  within  him.  The  goal  was  reached, 
the  veil  rent,  all  knowledge  attained.  He  had 
become  a  self-enlightened  supreme  Buddha. 


20  A   BUDDHIST    CATECHISM 

41.  Had  he  now  discovered  the  cause  of  sorrow,  of 

old  age,  of  death,  and  of  birth-renewal? 
Yes;  in  the  words  of  the  holy  books,  there 
opened  within  him  the  bright  clear  eye  of  ''truth," 
and  he  found  what  was  the  cause  of  birth  and 
decay,  of  sorrow  and  death  and  birth-renewal,  but 
he  also  found  its  remedy  and  the  true  way  to 
deliverance,  to  Nirvana. 

42.  How  long  did  the  Buddha  remain  under  the 
Bodhi-treef 

He  remained  there  seven  days  absorbed  in 
deep  meditation.  Then  he  rose  and  went  to  the 
fig-tree  Ajapala.  Then  Mara  the  tempter (^^)  came 
to  him  and  said :  'Tass  away  now,  my  Lord,  from 
existence,  satisfied  with  the  blessed  truth,  which 
you  have  realized  and  which  but  very  few  can 
attain.  Men  are  governed  by  selfish  motives 
only.  Earth  is  their  dwelling-place,  and  there 
only  do  they  find  satisfaction.  They  are  unable 
to  grasp  the  eternal  law  of  the  Universe  and  of 
causation,  and  they  refuse  to  listen  to  the  great 
doctrine  of  absolute  renunciation  of  the  will  to 
live,  of  the  conquest  of  earthly  wishes  and  desires, 
and  of  the  way  to  final  deliverance.  Desist,  then, 
from  the  resolve  to  preach  this  doctrine  and  pass 
to  eternal  peace." 

43.  Did   the  Buddha  listen   to   the   adversary's 

words? 
No;   he  spurned  him  with  contempt.     ''Get 
thee  hence,  Evil  One,"  he  said.    "I  shall  not  pass 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  21 

out  of  existence  until  this  pure  doctrine  of  mine 
is  firmly  implanted  in  the  hearts  of  my  followers, 
until  I  have  succeeded  in  winning  a  number  of 
true  disciples,  who,  when  I  am  gone,  will,  in  my 
stead,  spread  abroad  the  saving  truth  out  of  pity 
for  the  multitudes,  for  the  good,  for  the  salvation, 
the  deliverance  of  both  gods(^^)  and  men." 

Then  the  tempter  left  him.  The  Buddha  re- 
mained three  weeks  longer  near  the  fig-tree 
Ajapala,  enjoying  the  perfect  bliss  of  his  deliver- 
ance and  absorbed  in  the  definite  preparation  of 
his  doctrine.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  rose 
and  said :  ''Welcome  to  all  who  enter  the  gates  of 
salvation.  He  who  has  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear 
and  believe." 

44.  Who  were  the  first  people  that  heard  him 
preach? 

The  five  ascetics  who  had  stayed  with  him, 
and  deserted  him  when  he  no  longer  practised 
ascetism. 

45.  Where  did  he  find  them  again? 

In  a  grove  near  Benares,  at  the  hermitage  of 
Migadya. 

46.  Did  the  ascetics  lend  a  willing  ear  to  his  dis- 

course? 
They  intended  not  to  do  so,  as  they  considered 
him  to  be  an  apostate;  but  the  majesty  of  his 
appearance  and  the  sublime  expression  of  his 


22  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

countenance  made  such  a  deep  impression  on 
their  minds,  that  against  their  own  will  they 
bowed  down  before  him  and  listened  reverentially 
to  his  words. 

47.  What  is  this  first  preaching  of  the  Buddha 

called? 
The  Establishment  of  the  Moral  Order  of  the 
Universe,  or  the  Foundation  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Righteousness.  This  sermon  contains  the  funda- 
mental truths  of  the  whole  doctrine  —  the  four 
grand  truths. 

48.  What   effect   had  this  sermon   on   the  five 

ascetics? 

They  acknowledged  the  Buddlia  to  be  the 
perfectly  Enlightened  One,  the  giver  of  truth,  the 
guide  to  Nirvana,  and  they  desired  to  become  his 
disciples. 

Then  the  Blessed  One  admitted  them  as  the 
first  members  into  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect 
(Sangha),  with  the  following  words:  "Welcome, 
brethren,  the  truth  is  clear.  Live  henceforth  in 
holiness,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  all  suffering." 

49.  Which  of  the  five  disciples  first  realized  the 

supreme  truth? 
The  aged   Kondanya.     There  opened  within 
him  the  clear  eye  of  truth,  and  he  attained  the 
state  of  an  Arahat.C')     The  other  four  disciples 
soon  followed  him. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  23 

50.  Did  the  Buddha  gain  any  more  disciples  at 

Benares  f 
Yes.  The  next  convert  was  Yasa,  a  young 
nobleman.  But  the  common  people,  as  well  as 
the  higher  classes,  listened  to  the  words  of  the 
sublime  teacher;  for  he  made  no  distinction  of 
caste  or  rank  or  position  as  the  Brahmans  do,  but 
preached  the  doctrine  of  salvation  to  all  those 
disposed  to  hear  him,  and  his  words  were  all- 
powerful,  searching  the  innermost  heart.  At  the 
end  of  five  months  the  number  of  his  disciples 
amounted  to  sixty,  not  including  any  lay  ad- 
herents. The  Buddha  then  began  to  send  forth 
the  brethren  in  various  directions. 

51.  What  is  meant  by  the  sending  forth  of  the 
brethren? 

The  Buddha  called  them  all  together  and  bade 
them  go  out  into  the  world,  each  separately  by 
himself,  and  preach  the  doctrine  of  salvation.  (^^) 

52.  What  was  the  formula  he  made  use  off 

The  Buddha,  addressing  the  brethren,  said: 
"You  are  free  from  all  fetters,  either  human  or 
divine.  Depart,  then,  and  preach  the  saving  truth 
to  all  living  beings,  out  of  compassion  for  suffering 
humanity,  and  for  the  benefit  and  welfare  of  both 
gods  and  men.  There  are  many  persons  of  pure 
heart  and  willing  mind,  who  must  perish  if  they 
do  not  hear  the  doctrine  of  redemption.  These 
will  become  your  supporters  and  confessors  of  the 
truth." 


24  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

53.  Did  the  Buddha  remain  alone  at  Benares  f 
No;   he  returned  to  Uruvela,  where  a  great 

number  of  Brahmans  Hved  in  huts  in  the  wilder- 
ness, kept  up  the  sacred  fire,  and  performed  the 
rehgious  rites  and  ceremonies  prescribed  in  the 
Vedas.  The  Buddha  preached  to  them  of  the 
consuming  fire  of  sensual  desires,  of  passions  and 
lusts.  He  converted  many  and  they  became  his 
disciples.  He  then  proceeded  to  Rajagriha,  where 
King  Bimbisara  and  a  great  number  of  his  nobles 
professed  themselves  his  adherents.  Thus  the 
doctrine  of  salvation  continued  to  gain  ground. 

54.  Did  not  the  Buddha  return  to  his  former  home 

at  Kapilavasthuf 

From  Rajagriha  he  went  on  to  Kapilavasthu, 
and  the  fame  of  his  doings  went  before  him.  In 
obedience  to  the  rules  of  the  Brotherhood  he 
stopped  in  a  grove  outside  the  town,  instead  of 
returning  to  the  royal  palace.  King  Suddhodana 
and  all  his  male  relations  came  to  welcome  him, 
but  when  they  saw  him  in  the  poor  dress  of  a 
mendicant  (Bhikshu),  with  shaven  hair  and 
beard,  they  were  scandalized. 

Early  next  morning  the  Buddha  set  out,  accom- 
panied by  his  disciples,  carrying  his  alms  bowl,  ('*) 
to  beg  his  daily  bread  from  door  to  door,  as  is  the 
custom  of  the  Brotherhood.  When  his  father 
heard  this,  he  came  in  great  haste  and  said  re- 
proachfully:  *'My  son,  why  do  you  bring  such 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  25 

disgrace  upon  me,  asking  alms  like  a  common 
beggar?" 

The  Buddha  replied:  "Great  king,  this  has 
been  the  custom  of  all  my  race." 

But  King  Suddhodana  did  not  understand  the 
meaning  of  these  words,  and  exclaimed:  "We  are 
descended  from  a  line  of  kings  and  nobles,  and 
none  of  us  has  ever  fallen  so  low  as  to  beg  for 
bread  from  door  to  door." 

The  Buddha  said  with  a  smile :  "You  and  yours 
are  right  to  claim  descent  from  kings,  but  my 
descent  is  from  the  Buddhas  of  long  past  cen- 
turies, (^^)  and  they  were  wont  to  do  as  I  do." 
Then  King  Suddhodana  was  silent,  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  led  him  to  the  palace. 

55.  Did  not  the  Buddha  meet  his  wife  and  child 
once  more? 

That  same  day  he  went  to  see  the  Princess 
Yasodhara,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  disci- 
ples. (^^)  And  when  Yasodhara  saw  him  in  the 
garb  of  a  mendicant,  she  burst  into  tears,  and  fall- 
ing down  before  him  clasped  his  knees.  The  Bud- 
dha raised  her  up,  trying  to  comfort  her  with 
gentle  words,  and  explained  the  doctrine  to  her. 
His  words  fell  on  good  ground  and  took  root  in  her 
heart. 

After  the  Buddha  had  left  her,  Yasodhara 
dressed  her  son  Rahula  in  his  best  attire  and  sent 
him  to  his  father  to  ask  for  his  inheritance.  And 
when  the  boy  had  come  into  the  presence  of  the 


26  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

Buddha,  he  said:  'Tather,  one  day  I  shall  be 
king,  and  rule  over  the  Sakyas.  I  pray  thee, 
give  me  my  inheritance." 

Then  the  Blessed  One  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  led  him  outside  the  town  to  the  Nigrodha 
grove,  where  he  had  taken  up  his  abode  with  the 
disciples,  and  said:  ''My  son,  thou  askest  me  for 
an  earthly  inheritance,  which  is  perishable  and 
fraught  with  sorrow.  I  have  none  such  to  give 
thee.  The  inheritance  I  leave  thee,  is  the  treasures 
I  have  gathered  beneath  the  tree  of  knowledge; 
these  can  never  be  snatched  from  thee." 

He  then  gave  orders  to  Sariputta  to  admit 
Rahula  into  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect,  and 
with  him  many  of  the  Buddha's  relatives,  among 
them  Ananda,  Devadatta,  Upali,  and  Anuruddha. 

56.  Who  were  the  7nost  distinguished  disciples  of 

the  Buddha  besides  those  named  already? 
Sariputta  Mogallana,  and  Kasyapa. 

57.  How  long  did  the  Buddha  remain  at  Kapila- 

vasthuf 
He  spent  the  four  months  of  the  rainy  season 
there,  in  the  second  year  of  his  public  teaching. 
Then  he  set  out  to  pursue  his  great  work  else- 
where. 

58.  How    long    did    he    go    on    preaching    and 

teaching  f 
Up  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  fortj^-five  years 
altogether.    During  the  eight  months  of  the  dry 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  27 

season  he  used  to  go  from  place  to  place,  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  his  disciples,  exhorting  the 
people,  and  teaching  them  by  parables  and  ser- 
mons. But  the  time  of  the  rainy  season  he  always 
spent  at  one  place,  either  at  the  house  of  one  of 
his  disciples  or  in  the  gardens  and  groves  bestowed 
upon  the  Order  by  some  of  the  rich  lay  believers. 

59.  Where    was    the    javourite    resort    of    the 
Buddha f 

The  bamboo  grove  (Veluvana)  near  Rajagriha, 
which  had  once  been  a  park  of  King  Bimbisaras, 
and  had  been  presented  by  him  to  the  Buddha; 
and  the  Jeta  grove  ( Jetavana)  near  Sravasti,  a  gift 
of  the  rich  merchant  Anathapindika.  In  both 
these  places  there  were  hermitages  for  the  use  of 
the  Bhikshus.  They  have  become  famous  in  the 
history  of  Buddhism  as  being  the  spots  where  the 
Blessed  One(^0  expounded  most  of  the  truths  con- 
tained in  the  holy  books. 

60.  Did    the    Buddhist    religion    become   firmly 
established  within  these  forty- five  years  f 

Yes;  the  fame  of  the  Buddha  and  his  holy 
doctrine  spread  rapidly.  Thousands  of  people  of 
all  ranks  and  conditions,  men  and  women,  took 
the  higher  vows  and  were  received  into  the  Broth- 
erhood (Sangha)  as  mendicants  (Bhikshus,  Sa- 
manas),  or  nuns  (Bhikshunis),  and  countless 
numbers  professed  as  laymen  belief  in  the  En- 
lightened One.(^^) 


28  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

61.  Had  not  the  Buddha  to  suffer  any  persecution 

or  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  follower  of  the 

dominant  Brahman  religion? 
No;  all  intolerance  of  nonconformists,  all  reli- 
gious fanaticism  is  equally  averse  to  both  Bud- 
dhism and  true  Brahmanism.    It  was  one  of  the 
Buddha's  own  disciples  who  rose  up  against  him. 

62.  Who  was  it? 

Devadatta.  Carried  away  by  ambition,  he 
aimed  at  the  leadership  of  the  Brotherhood;  and 
when  he  failed,  sought  even  to  take  the  aged 
Master's  life.  All  his  plots,  however,  were  of  no 
avail. 

63.  How  did  the  Buddha  frustrate  these  evil  de- 
signs? 

By  his  inexhaustible  benevolence  and  kindness; 
for  these  qualities  exert  a  miraculous,  irresistible 
power,  which  subdues  the  fiercest  enemies  and 
puts  to  nought  all  the  designs  of  wickedness, 
hatred,  and  treachery. 

64.  Have  we  any  account  of  the  Buddha's  dying 

days? 
Yes ;  the  Maha-Parinibbana-Sutta,  or  the  Book 
of  the  Buddha's  final  passing  away,  gives  a  full 
account  thereof. 

65.  What  is  the  account? 

When  the  Blessed  One  was  in  his  eightieth  year, 
he  felt  his  strength  ebbing  away.    And  he  said  to 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  29 

his  constant  companion,  Ananda(^^) :  "I  am  a  man 
bowed  down  by  age,  Ananda.  The  measure  of  my 
days  is  full  and  my  life  is  drawing  to  a  close.'' 
Then  Ananda  was  sorely  troubled,  and  he  en- 
treated the  Master  not  yet  to  depart.  But  the 
Buddha  rebuked  him,  saying:  "Have  I  not  on 
many  former  occasions  taught  you,  that  it  is  in 
the  very  nature  of  all  things,  however  near  and 
dear  to  us,  that  we  must  lose  them,  leave  them, 
separate  from  them?  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
eternal  duration.  Everything  born,  brought  into 
existence  and  organized,  of  necessity  inherits  dis- 
solution. How,  then,  could  it  be  possible  that  any 
human  being,  yea,  even  a  supreme  Buddha,  should 
not  be  dissolved?  Behold!  I  tell  you  true,  this 
day  three  months  the  Tathagata(^°)  will  pass 
away  out  of  existence.  Therefore,  brethren,  ye  to 
w^hom  I  have  made  known  the  truth,  be  always  the 
true  doers  of  it ;  practise  it ;  be  earnest  in  effort  to 
work  out  your  own  perfection,  and  proclaim  the 
doctrine  to  all  when  I  am  gone,  that  it  may  be 
instilled  into  the  hearts  of  the  hearers  and  be  pre- 
served in  its  purity.  He  who  keeps  in  the  path  of 
true  holiness,  will  safely  cross  this  dreary  ocean  of 
life,  and  reach  the  heaven  of  eternal  peace,  where 
all  suffering  and  all  birth-renewal  is  at  an  end." 

And  though  the  Blessed  One  was  very  weak 
and  suffering,  he  still  went  on  from  place  to  place, 
gathering  round  him  his  disciples  and  followers, 
exhorting  them  to  persevere  and  to  keep  in  the 
right  way  that  leads  to  salvation. 


30  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

On  his  arrival  at  Bhoya-nagara  he  stopped  at 
the  Ananda-Vihara,  and  there  he  addressed  his 
disciples:  "When  I  have  departed,  brethren,  there 
will  be  some  amongst  you,  elders  or  brethren  or 
hermits,  who  may  say:  From  the  mouth  of  the 
Tathagata  I  have  heard  it,  from  his  own  mouth 
have  I  received  it.  This  is  the  truth,  the  doctrine, 
the  teaching  of  the  Master.  Such  words  you  are 
neither  to  receive  indiscriminately  nor  treat  them 
scornfully,  but  without  prejudice  you  are  to  listen 
to  each  word  and  syllable,  and  compare  them  with 
the  fundamental  doctrines  and  rules  laid  down 
for  the  Brotherhood.  If  after  careful  examination 
they  do  not  agree  with  the  doctrine  and  the  rules 
of  the  Brotherhood,  reject  them;  otherwise  receive 
them  as  my  own  words.  This  is  my  instruction 
to  you.'' 

The  Buddha  next  went  to  Bhoya-gama,  and 
from  there  to  Pava,  where  he  stayed  at  the  mango 
grove  of  Chunda,  the  worker  in  metals.  When 
Chunda  heard  it  he  was  glad,  and  he  came  to  sa- 
lute the  Enlightened  One,  and  to  ask  him  to  take 
his  meal  with  him  at  his  house,  together  with  the 
brethren.    And  the  Buddha  gave  a  silent  assent. 

Then  Chunda  made  ready  the  best  he  possessed, 
rice  and  sweet  cakes  and  some  dried  boar's  flesh. 
When  the  Buddha  saw  it  he  addressed  Chunda 
and  said:  ''As  to  the  dried  boar's  flesh  you  have 
made  ready,  Chunda,  serve  it  to  me  alone,  and  the 
rice  and  the  sweet  cakes  give  to  the  brethren." 
And  Chunda  did  as  he  desired.    And  when  the 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  31 

Buddha  had  finished  his  meal,  he  turned  again  to 
Chunda,  and  said:  "Whatever  is  left  over  of  the 
meat,  that  bury  in  a  hole,  for  there  is  none  in 
heaven  and  earth,  among  the  Samanas  or  Brah- 
manas,  among  gods  or  men,  by  whom  such  food 
can  be  eaten  without  hurt  to  himself,  save  alone 
the  Tathagata.'^ 

66.  What  did  the  Buddha  mean  by  saying  so  f 

He  wished  to  intimate  to  his  adherents  that 
the  flesh  of  animals  is  no  proper  food  for  men  and 
beings  of  a  higher  order,  and  that  every  one  who 
partakes  thereof  does  it  to  the  injury  of  his  own 
body  and  mind.  For  this  reason  he  forbade 
Chunda  to  give  any  to  his  disciples. 

67.  But  why  did  the  Buddha  take  some  of  the 
wild  boar's  flesh  himself? 

Because  he  was  anxious  not  to  infringe  his  own 
precepts,  according  to  which  the  brethren  are  not 
allowed  to  refuse  anything  that  is  kindly  offered 
them. 

68.  Give  some  further  account  of  the  Buddha's 
last  hours. 

After  the  Buddha  had  gladdened  and  edified 
Chunda  by  his  religious  discourse,  he  went  on  to 
Kusinara.  On  the  way  a  dire  sickness  and  sharp 
pain  came  upon  him,  but  he  bore  it  all  with  forti- 
tude and  without  complaint.  Soon  his  weakness 
became  so  great  that  he  had  to  sit  down  under 
a  tree  by  the  wayside.    And  he  addressed  Ananda, 


32  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

and  said:  ''Fetch  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  water, 
for  I  am  thirsty." 

And  Ananda  answered:  "Master,  a  caravan  of 
carts  has  just  gone  over  the  brook.  The  water  has 
become  stirred  up  by  the  wheels,  and  has  become 
turbid  and  muddy."  But  the  Blessed  One  re- 
peated his  request. 

Then  Ananda  took  his  bowl  and  went  down  to 
the  brook.  And  behold !  the  water  which  but  now 
had  been  turbid  and  muddy,  flowed  clear  and 
limpid,  free  from  all  turbidity.  Ananda  wondered 
but  he  filled  his  bowl  and  brought  it  to  the  Bud- 
dha, who  drank  it  and  felt  refreshed. 

Now,  a  young  Mallian,  by  name  Pukkusa,  the 
owner  of  the  caravan,  was  passing  along  the  road. 
When  he  saw  the  Blessed  One  sitting  under  the 
tree,  he  went  up  to  him  and  saluted  him  full  of 
reverence.  Then  he  gave  orders  to  one  of  his 
attendants  to  fetch  him  two  suits  of  cloth  of  gold, 
burnished  and  ready  to  wear.  And  addressing 
the  Buddha,  he  said:  "My  Lord,  do  me  the  favour 
to  accept  these  suits  at  my  hands."  The  Buddha 
answered:  "Then  give  me  one  of  them,  and 
Ananda  one."  And  Ananda  put  one  of  the  robes 
of  cloth  of  gold  upon  the  Buddha,  and  when  he 
had  done  so  it  seemed  to  have  lost  all  its  glitter. 

Ananda  was  astonished,  and  said:  "Master, 
what  a  wonderful  thing  is  this!  Your  countenance 
is  of  such  marvellous  beauty  and  brightness  that 
the  robe  of  cloth  of  gold  seems  to  have  lost  all 
its  glitter." 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  33 

The  Blessed  One  answered:  ''Even  so,  Ananda. 
There  are  two  occasions  on  which  the  face  of  a 
Tathagata  becomes  exceeding  bright :  on  the  night 
in  which  he  attains  supreme  and  perfect  insight, 
and  again  on  the  night  when  he  passes  finally 
away  out  of  existence.  (^^)  And  now  this  night,  in 
the  third  watch,  the  final  passing  away  of  the 
Tathagata  will  take  place." 

Then  the  Enlightened  One  rose,  greatly  re- 
freshed, and  with  his  disciples  went  to  the  Sala 
grove  of  the  Mallas  near  Kusinara,  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Hiranyavati.  And,  addressing 
Ananda,  said: 

"Put  for  me,  I  pray  thee,  the  couch  between 
the  two  sala-trees,  for  I  am  tired  and  would  lie 
down." 

"I  do  so.  Master,"  replied  Ananda.  Then  he 
made  the  couch  ready  between  the  twin  sala-trees. 
And  the  Blessed  One  lay  down,  with  his  head  to 
the  north.  And  behold!  the  sala-trees  were  one 
mass  of  blossoms,  though  it  was  not  the  season 
for  flowers.  They  fell  like  rain  on  the  body  of 
the  Blessed  One,  and  sweet  music  came  wafted 
from  the  skies. 

And  the  Buddha  said: 

"Behold,  brethren!  Heaven  and  earth  vie  with 
each  other  to  do  reverence  to  the  Tathagata.  But 
it  is  not  thus  that  the  Tathagata  is  duly  hon- 
oured and  reverenced.  Those  of  my  disciples  who 
continually  live  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  and  who 
walk  always  in  the  light  of  my  precepts,  those 


34  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

alone  do  rightly  honour  and  reverence  the  Tatha- 
gata." 

And  after  awhile  he  turned  again  to  his  disci- 
ples, and  said:  'There  may  be  some  among  you, 
who  will  think  after  I  am  gone:  Our  teacher  is 
dead ;  we  have  no  longer  any  guide.  But  it  is  not 
thus  you  should  think.  The  doctrine  I  have  taught 
you  and  the  rules  of  the  Brotherhood  I  have  laid 
down  for  you,  these  are  to  be,  after  I  am  gone, 
your  teacher  and  guide." 

And  the  Buddha  lifted  up  his  voice  once  more 
and  said :  "Brethren,  keep  in  mind  those  words  of 
mine:  Whatever  is  born  perishes.  Strive  unceas- 
ingly for  your  deliverance.'' 

These  were  the  Buddha's  last  words.  Then 
his  spirit  sank  into  a  deep  meditative  repose,  till 
all  idea  and  thinking  and  consciousness  of  self 
ceased,  and  so  he  passed  into  the  supreme 
Nirvana. 

Outside  the  eastern  gates  of  Kusinara  the 
Mallas  set  fire  to  the  Blessed  One's  funeral  pile, 
and  paid  him  all  the  honour  due  to  a  king. 

"They  pass  each  being's  parts  and  powers: 
They  grow,  and  therefore  must  decay: 
The  issue  of  the  transient  hours 
Should,  Hke  the  hours,  pass  away!" 


THE  DOCTRINE   (DHAMMA) 

69.  What  is  the  doctrine? 

It  is  the  true  way  of  salvation  intuitively  per- 
ceived and  announced  by  the  Buddha;  preserved 
to  us  in  the  tradition  of  the  Arahats  and  recorded 
in  the  holy  Scriptures. 

70.  TV  hat  are  the  holy  Scriptures  of  the  Buddhists 
called? 

The  three  Pitakas,  or  collections  of  books. 

71.  What  are  the  three  Pitakas  named  respec- 
tively? 

Sutta  Pitaka,  Vinaya  Pitaka^  and  Abidhamma 
Pitaka. 

72.  What  are  the  contents  of  the  Sutta  Pitaka f 
The  Sutta  Pitaka  contains  religious  discourses, 

addresses,  and  sayings  of  the  Buddha,  intended  for 
the  instruction  of  the  brethren  as  well  as  of  the 
laity.  It  contains,  too,  a  number  of  parables  in 
illustration  of  the  doctrine. 

73.  What  are  the  contents  of  the  Vinaya  Pitaka? 
The  Vinaya  Pitaka  contains  the  precepts  and 

rules  laid  down  for  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect 
(Sangha). 

35 


36  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

74.  What  are  the  contents  oj  the  Ahhidamma 
Pitakaf 

The  Abhidamma  Pitaka  contains  the  profound- 
est  philosophic  and  religious  truths  of  Buddhism, 
and  is  intelligible  only  to  those  brethren  who  have 
already  attained  to  a  higher  stage  of  moral  and 
spiritual  development. 

75.  Do,  then,  these  three  collections  contain  any 
divine  revelation? 

No;  there  are  no  divine  revelations.  It  is  a 
groundless  assumption,  utterly  rejected  by  Bud- 
dhism, that  truth  should  be  revealed  by  a  God,  or 
an  angel,  to  a  few  inspired  favourites.  The  only 
revelation  men  have  ever  received  is  from  the 
mouth  of  those  sublime  teachers  of  mankind,  who 
themselves  have  worked  out  their  own  perfection 
and  deliverance,  have  shown  others  the  way  to  it, 
and  are  for  that  reason  called  self -enlightened 
supreme  Buddhas. 

76.  What  was  the  Buddha's  motive  jor  teaching  us 

the  doctrine? 
Pity,  boundless  love  and  compassion  for  our 
sufferings  and  our  ignorance,  that  ignorance  or 
natural  blindness (")  of  our  hearts  (avidya)  which 
prevents  us  from  finding,  by  ourselves,  the  way  to 
deliverance  out  of  this  Sansara. 

77.  What  is  Sansara? 

Sansara  is  the  world  we  live  in,  the  world  of 
illusion,  error,  guilt,  and  sorrow,  of  birth  and 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  37 

decay,  of  endless  change,  disappointment  and 
pain,  of  the  never-ending  circle  of  transmigration 
from  which  no  escape  is  possible  until  the  re- 
deeming light  of  true  knowledge  has  dawned 
upon  us. 

78.  What  is  the  cause  of  sorrow,  and  of  death  and 
birth-renewal  f 

The  will  or  desire  to  live  (tanha),(^^)  inherent 
in  every  one  of  us,  the  craving  for  individual  exist- 
ence either  in  this  world  or  another  (Heaven, 
Paradise). 

79.  How  can  sorrow,  death,  and  birth-renewal  be 

overcome? 
By  a  free  renunciation  of  the  lust  of  life;  by  a 
killing  out  of  the  craving  for  individual  existence 
either  in  this  world  or  another.     Therein  lies 
deliverance :  this  is  the  way  to  eternal  peace. 

80.  But  what  is  it  prevents  us  from  giving  up 

this  desire  of  life  and  from  attaining  de- 
liverance? 
Our  being  ignorant,  that  is,  our  want  of  true 
knowledge,  our  want   of  insight  into   the  real 
nature  of  things  (avidya). 

81.  What  is  the  knowledge  which  leads  us  to 
salvation? 

The  knowledge  of  the  four  grand  truths  taught 
us  by  the  Buddha. 


38  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

82.  Which  are  the  four  grand  truths? 

1.  Life  implies  pain. 

2.  Pain  has  a  source. 

3.  That  source  can  be  stayed. 

4.  The  means  (of  staying  it)  are  attainable. 

83.  Give  a  juller  explanation  of  these  four  grand 

truths. 

It  is  found  in  the  Buddha's  own  words,  in  the 
Book  of  the  Foundation  of  the  Kingdom  of  Right- 
eousness, which  are  as  follows: 

'Tt  is  through  not  understanding  and  grasping 
four  truths,  brethren,  that  we  have  to  continue  so 
long,  to  wander  so  long,  in  this  weary  path  of 
transmigration  —  both  you  and  I."  And  what 
are  these  four  grand  truths? 

The  truth  concerning  suffering. 

The  truth  concerning  the  source  of  suffering. 

The  truth  concerning  the  way  which  leads  to 

suffering. 
The  truth  concerning  the  way  which  leads  to 

riddance  from  suffering. 

But  when  these  four  grand  truths  are  realized 
and  known,  then  the  desire  of  lifp  dies;  the  craving 
for  life,  which  leads  to  its  renewal,  is  extinguished, 
and  there  is  no  more  re-birth. 

This,  brethren,  is  the  grand  truth  concerning 
suffering: 

To  be  born  is  to  suffer:  to  grow  old  is  to 
suffer :  to  die  is  to  suffer :  to  lose  what  is  loved  is 


A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  39 

to  suffer:  to  be  tied  to  what  is  not  loved  is  to 
suffer:  to  endure  what  is  distasteful  is  to  suffer. 
In  short,  all  the  results  of  individuality,  of  sepa- 
rate self-hood,  necessarily  involve  pain  or 
suffering. 

This,  brethren  is  the  grand  truth  concerning 
the  source  of  suffering : 

It  lies  in  that  will  to  live,  or  craving  for  life 
which  is  itself  the  cause  of  its  renewal,  seeking 
satisfaction,  now  in  one,  now  in  another  form.  It 
is  the  craving,  the  gratification  of  the  passions, 
the  craving  for  one's  own  personal  happiness, 
whether  in  this  life  or  in  some  life  after  this. 

This,  brethren,  is  the  grand  truth  concerning 
the  riddance  from  suffering: 

It  is  the  extinction  of  the  lust  of  life,  of  the 
craving  for  existence :  this  must  be  overcome,  got 
rid  of,  rooted  out  utterly. 

Now  this,  brethren,  is  the  grand  truth  concern- 
ing the  way  which  leads  to  the  riddance  from 
suffering  —  the  sublime  eightfold  path ;  that  is  to 
say: 

1.  Right  views; 

2.  Right  aspirations;  \ 

3.  Right  speech ; 

4.  Right  conduct; 

5.  Right  living; 

6.  Right  effort; 

7.  Right  mindfulness; 

8.  Right  recollectedness. 


40  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

There  are  two  extremes  which  the  man  who 
has  given  up  the  world  ought  to  avoid:  on  one 
hand,  sensuality,  the  seeking  to  satisfy  the  pas- 
sions and  lusts  of  the  body  —  base,  degrading,  and 
pernicious :  this  is  the  way  of  the  worldly  minded. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  asceticism  or  self-torture, 
which  is  saddening,  unworthy,  useless,  and  not 
helpful  to  deliverance. 

The  middle  path,  discovered  by  the  Tathagata, 
avoids  these  two  extremes;  it  opens  the  eyes, 
illumines  the  understanding,  and  leads  to  peace  of 
mind,  to  the  higher  wisdom,  to  full  enlightenment, 
to  Nirvana.  (^*) 

84.  What  is  Nirvana? 

It  is  a  condition  of  heart  and  mind  in  which 
every  earthly  craving  is  extinct;  it  is  the  cessation 
of  every  passion  and  desire,  of  every  feeling  of 
ill-will,  fear,  and  sorrow.  It  is  a  mental  state  of 
perfect  rest  and  peace  and  joy,  in  the  steadfast 
assurance  of  deliverance  attained,  from  all  the 
imperfections  of  finite  being.  It  is  a  condition 
impossible  to  be  defined  in  words,  or  to  be  con- 
ceived by  any  one  still  attached  to  the  things  of 
the  world.  Only  he  knows  what  Nirvana  is  who 
has  realized  it  in  his  own  heart.  (^^) 

85.  Is  Nirvana  identical  with  deliverance? 

Yes;  it  is  deliverance,  and  it  is  attainable  in 
this  life. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  41 

86.  Is  every  one  able  to  reach  Nirvana  in  this 
present  lifef 

Only  the  few  can  do  so.  Most  men,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  acts  in  former  lives,  are  morally 
and  mentally  so  deficient  that  a  great  many  re- 
births or  re-incarnations  are  required  to  purify 
them  ere  they  can  attain  deliverance.  But  who- 
ever is  in  earnest  may  be  re-born  under  more 
favourable  circumstances. 

87.  Is  our  birth-renewal  solely  dependent  on  our 

own  will? 
Yes,  entirely.  This  will  to  live  (tanha)(^^)  in- 
herent in  all  of  us,  and  the  essential  factor  in  our 
being,  is  the  true  creative  power,  which  other 
religions  personify  as  God;  it  is  the  cause  of  our 
existence  and  our  re-incarnation,  and  is,  in  fact, 
the  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Destroyer  of  aU  things 
—  the  true  Trinity. 

88.  Are    the    conditions    of    our    birth-renewal 

equally  dependent  on  ourselves? 
Yes;  our  re-incarnation  will  be  in  perfect 
accordance  with  our  doings,  our  merits,  and  de- 
merits —  in  short,  with  our  moral  character.  We 
shall  be  born  again  in  a  superior  world,  and  among 
superior  beings,  if  our  deserts  carry  this  result; 
but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  been  evil-doers, 
re-birth  in  an  inferior  state,  and  attended  with 
sorrow  and  pain,  will  be  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence. (^0 


42  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

89.  On  what  law  does  this  rest? 
On  the  law  of  Karma. 

90.  What  is  the  law  of  Karma? 

Karma  is  the  moral  power  working  throughout 
the  universe,  of  which  the  physical,  visible  order 
is  but  the  material  symbol.  It  is  the  law  of  cause 
and  effect  in  the  moral  sphere.  As  in  the  physical 
order  of  causation  so  also  in  the  moral,  all  things 
are  followed  by  their  necessary  consequence. 
Karma  is  at  once  our  individual  moral  character, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  what  in  other  religions  is 
called  the  dispensation  of  God,  providence,  or 
destiny.  (^^) 

91.  /s  man's  birth-renewal  only  on  this  earth? 
No;   there  are  countless  multitudes  of  other 

worlds  moving  in  space,  which  are  peopled  with 
beings  superior  or  inferior  to  man.  In  every  one 
of  these  spheres  re-incarnation  may  take  place. 

92.  Are  these  heavenly  bodies  immutable? 

No;  like  our  earth  they  are  governed  by  the 
universal  law  of  perpetual  change  and  motion. 
The  whole  animate  and  inanimate  world  is  subject 
thereto. 

93.  Did  the  world  take  origin  out  of  nothing? 
No;  nothing  can  ever  come  from  nothing. 

94.  Has  a  God-creator  called  the  world  into  exist- 

ence  by  his  almighty  will? 
No;  there  is  no  personal  God-Creator,  on  whose 
mercy  and  goodwill  the  universe  is  dependent. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  43 

Everything  owes  its  origin  and  development  to 
its  own  inherent  vitalism,  or,  w^iat  comes  to  the 
same,  its  own  will  to  live.  Human  ignorance  it 
is  which  alone  invented  a  personal  God-Creator. 
The  Buddhist  utterly  rejects  the  belief  in  a  per- 
sonal God,  and  distinctly  denies  the  doctrine  of  a 
creation  out  of  nothing.  (^®)  ^ 

95.  Did  not  the  Buddha  give  us  any  information 

concerning  the  first  beginning  and  ultimate 
destiny  of  the  Universe? 
No; 

96.  Did  he  know  nothing  about  it? 
He  knew,  but  he  taught  us  nothing. 

97.  Why  not? 

Because  such  knowledge,  even  if  it  were  possible 
to  impart  it,  would  not  promote  the  spiritual  and 
moral  welfare  of  mankind,  nor  deliver  men  from 
suffering,  nor  lead  them  to  salvation,  to  Nirvana. 
The  final  cause  of  all  existence  can  only  be  com- 
prehended by  him  who,  like  the  Buddha,  has 
already  attained  the  most  perfect  degree  of  human 
development  —  that  is,  by  a  Buddha  only. 

98.  Is,  then,  an  exposition  of  the  problem  of  life 
impossible  in  words? 

Yes;  because  finite  forms,  to  which  both 
thought  and  language  belong,  cannot  give  expres- 
sion to  the  Eternal,  which  has  neither  beginning 
nor  end.  Wherever  the  attempt  has  been  made  on 
the  part  of  other  religions,  it  has  but  led  to  vain 


44  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

speculations,  meaningless  statements,  disputes, 
misconceptions,  and  often  even  to  war,  murder, 
and  cruelty  of  every  sort.  Instead  of  arriving  at 
truth,  salvation,  and  unity,  the  result  has  always 
been  error,  suffering,  and  disaster.  Upon  ques- 
tions such  as  these  the  Buddha  was  silent. 

99.  Shall  we  never  get  nearer  the  solution  of  this 

mystery? 

We  shall  undoubtedly.  Every  one  who  lives  in 
obedience  to  the  Buddha's  doctrine  can  attain 
perfect  wisdom  and  knowledge.  Then  the  clouds 
of  mystery  and  doubt  which  have  enfolded  him, 
and  have  obscured  his  mental  sight,  will  disperse, 
and  he  will  realize  the  eternal  truth.  But  to  do 
this,  he  must  be  firmly  resolved  to  walk  in  the 
sublime  eightfold  path.(^^) 

100.  How  is  this  to  be  donef 

By  entering  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect,  by 
retiring  from  this  world,  and  by  striving  with  all 
one's  might  for  the  attainment  of  this  supreme 
wisdom. 

101.  Is  every  one  able  to  do  so? 

Yes;  every  one  who  is  in  earnest  can  do  so; 
but  few  only  are  ready  to  give  up  the  world  and 
its  illusive  enjoyments. 

102.  Cannot  the  laymen,  too,  attain  to  perfection? 
No;  this  is  impossible.    They  alone  can  reach 

Nirvana  in  this  present  life  who  have  entered  the 
eightfold  path  of  perfection.  (^^) 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  45 

103.  Then  there  are  different  degrees  in  Bud- 
dhism? 

Yes;  there  are  two.  The  laymen  who  repeat 
the  formula  of  the  three  Refuges,  and  who  take 
the  first  five  vows,  are  called  the  adherents  or 
confessors  of  the  doctrine  (Upasakas).  The  close 
and  real  disciples  of  the  Buddha,  properly  and 
truly  such,  however,  are  exclusively  those  who 
renounce  the  world,  take  the  ten  vows,  and  enter 
on  the  eightfold  path  leading  to  perfection.  They 
bear  the  name  of  Bhikshus,  or  Samanas,  and  con- 
stitute the  Brotherhood  of  the  Elect. 

104.  Which  are  the  five  vows  for  the  laity? 
They  are  as  follows: 

1.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  destroy  life.(^-) 

2.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  steal. 

3.  I  vow  and  promise  to  abstain  from  all  un- 

chastity,   and  not  to  lead  astray  the 
wives,  daughters,  or  wards  of  any  one. 

4.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  lie,  deceive,  or 

bear  false  witness. 

5.  I  vow  and  promise  to  abstain  from  intoxi- 

cating drinks.  (^^) 

These  Pancha-Sila  are  obligatory  on  every  one 
professing  to  be  a  follower  of  the  Buddha. 

105.  What  advantage  will  be  derived  from  a  faith- 
ful observance  of  these  five  vows? 

He  who  faithfully  keeps  them  will  be  respected 
by  all  good  men;  he  will  be  spared  much  pain 


46  A   BUDDHIST    CATECHISM 

and  suffering,  retain  a  good  conscience,  and  live  in 
peace  and  goodwill  with  his  feUow-men.  His 
knowledge  will  increase,  and  he  will  be  re-born 
under  more  favourable  conditions.  But  he  who 
keeps  the  eight  vows  (Atthanga-Sali)  more  or  less 
completely,  but  at  least  for  the  weekly  holy  days, 
will  gain  a  much  greater  reward. 

106.  Which  are  the  eight  vows? 

The  three  following,  beside  the  five  enumerated 
just  now: 

6.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  eat  food  at  un- 

seasonable times  —  that  is  after  the  mid- 
day meal. 

7.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  dance,  sing  light 

songs,  frequent  public  amusements,  and, 
in  short,  to  avoid  worldly  dissipation  of 
every  kind. 

8.  I  vow  and  promise  not  to  wear  any  kind  of 

ornament,  nor  to  use  any  scents  or  per- 
fumes, and,  in  short,  to  avoid  whatever 
tends  to  vanity. 

The  vow  of  observing  chastity  and  all  unlawful 
sexual  intercourse  includes  the  obligation  of  con- 
tinence, even  for  married  people,  during  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Atthanga-Sila. 

107.  Which  are  the  ten  vows  for  the  members  of 

the  Brotherhood? 
The  Dasa-Sila  —  that  is,  two  vows,  in  addition 
to  the  eight  already  mentioned :  these  are  — 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  47 

9.  I  promise  and  vow  to  give  up  the  use  of 
soft  bedding  and  to  sleep  on  a  hard,  low 
couch. 
10.  And  to  live  in  voluntary  poverty. 

108.  In  what  way  can  these  vows  be  broken? 
In  three  ways  —  in  thought,  word,  and  deed. 

109.  Why  is  not  a  layman  able  to  reach  Nirvana? 
Because  a  worldly  life  renders  impossible  the 

complete  observance  of  the  ten  vows,  the  breaking 
of  the  ten  fetters,  and  the  attainment  of  true 
knowledge.  In  fact  a  worldly  life  is  altogether 
based  upon  ignorance  and  selfishness 

110.  Are  we  then  compelled  to  become  Bhikshus, 

and  to  sacrifice  all  that  is  dear  to  usf 
It  is  not  sacrifice,  but  deliverance.  As  long  as 
we  still  look  upon  the  giving  up  of  worldly  pos- 
sessions, enjoyments,  and  pleasures  in  the  light  of 
a  painful  sacrifice,  we  are  far  from  a  real  insight 
and  from  true  knowledge.  Only  when  we  look 
upon  this  as  a  deliverance  from  what  is  profitless, 
futile,  irksome,  and  oppressive,  have  we  arrived  at 
the  full  truth. (^0 

111.  Cannot  the  Buddha  redeem  us  from  the  con- 

sequences of  our  guilt  by  his  own  merit? 
No  one  can  be  redeemed  by  another.    No  God 
and  no  saint  —  so  we  are  taught  by  the  sacred 
books  —  is  able  to  shield  a  man  from  the  conse- 


48  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

quences  of  his  evil  doings.  Every  one  of  us  must 
become  his  own  redeemer. 

112.  In  what  single  word  can  the  whole  doctrine 

he  summed  up? 
In  the  word  ^'justice."  The  law  of  absolute, 
inviolable  justice  holds  sway  in  the  whole  realm  of 
animate  and  inanimate  nature.  Each  good  and 
each  evil  deed  bears  its  own  fruit.  No  personal 
God  in  his  mercy  can  deliver  the  trembling  sinner 
from  the  consequences  of  his  evil  doings.  No 
arbitrary  power  of  an  Almighty  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth  can  curtail  the  merit  of  a  good  man's 
actions.  (^0 

113.  How  in  a  moral  sense  can  merit  be  gained? 
By  a  faithful  observance  of  the  vows  in  thought, 

word,  and  deed;  by  a  diligent  search  after  truth; 
and,  above  all,  by  justice  and  kindness  to  every 
living  being. 

114.  Is  it  the  outward  act  which  determines  its 

merit  f 
Quite  otherwise;  no  outward  act  is  meritorious 
in  itself:  its  merit  entirely  depends  on  the 
purity  of  its  motive,  and  has  value  only  so  far  as 
it  is  the  expression  and  visible  sign  of  an  inward 
moral  state  of  mind. 

115.  Give  an  instance  of  this. 

A  man  may  be  spending  large  sunis  of  money 
in  support  of  the  Brotherhood  and  of  the  poor, 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  49 

without  deriving  any  benefit  whatever  to  his  moral 
progress,  if  it  has  been  done  only  from  motives  of 
gaining  respect  and  the  good  opinion  of  others. 
Such  a  man  has  had  his  reward  in  the  praise  he 
has  won  in  this  present  life.  He,  on  the  contrary, 
who  is  kind  and  charitable  because  he  is  anxious 
to  improve  and  to  obtain  a  more  favourable  birth- 
renewal,  will  reap  the  fruit  of  his  deserts  in  his 
next  life.  The  highest  merit,  however,  is  gained  by 
him  who,  without  expectation  of  reward  in  this 
world  or  another,  does  good  to  his  fellow-men  from 
motives  of  pure  compassion  and  genuine  charity. 
He  is  not  far  from  Nirvana,  and  sure  of  re-birth 
in  one  of  the  bright  worlds  of  light  beyond  these 
spheres. 

116.  What  then  must  we  do  to  gain  true  merit? 
We  must  overcome  selfishness,  shun  what  is  evil, 

do  what  is  good. 

117.  Why  must  selfishness  be  overcome? 
Because  it  is  the  root  of  all  our  errors,  follies, 

and  misdeeds,  and  the  chief  hindrance  to  our  well- 
doing. 

118.  What  is  a  meritorious  action? 
Everything  done  with  the  pure  intention  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  others  and  to  alleviate  their 
sufferings. 

119.  What  is  an  evil  deed? 

Every  one  committed  with  the  intention  of 
hurting,  injuring,  and  doing  harm  to  others;  and 


50  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

no  less,  every  selfish  act  done  merely  for  personal 
advantage,  regardless  of  the  harm  it  may  cause 
others. 

120.  But  surely  there  are  selfish  acts  which  are  not 

injurious  to  others? 
Such  acts  are  neither  good  nor  bad  in  them- 
selves. They  are  prudent  if  they  promote  a  man's 
temporal  welfare;  they  are  wise  if  they  further  his 
spiritual  and  moral  development ;  they  are  foolish 
if  they  injure  his  mind  and  body. 

121.  Are  there  any  duties  to  be  observed  towards 

one's  own  self? 
No;  the  doctrine  of  duties  to  oneself,  or  the 
duty  of  self-preservation,  i^  nothing  but  a  cloak 
for  selfishness. 

122.  Is  it  wrong  to  return  evil  for  evil? 

Yes;  the  true  Buddhist  never  retaliates  the 
injuries  of  others.  (^^)  He  leaves  the  evil-doer  to 
eternal  justice  (Karma),  he  forgives  him,  and 
pities  him  as  one  who  must  suffer  the  effects  of 
Karma  in  this  life,  or  the  next,  in  proportion  to 
the  hardness  of  his  heart. 

123.  Has  the  inveterate  sinner  to  suffer  eternally? 
No  guilt  incurred  under  conditions  of  time, 

however  grievous  it  may  be,  is  followed  by  eternal 
punishment.  Such  order  of  the  universe  would  be 
most  cruel  and  unjust.  The  moral  kingdom  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Buddha  proclaimed,  has 
its  foundation  in  eternal  justice.    In  accordance 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  51 

therewith  every  evil  deed  can  of  necessity  only 
bring  its  corresponding  temporary  punishment,  in 
this  or  a  succeeding  life;  finite  guilt  —  finite 
punishment. 

124.  Is  there  no  heaven,  no  hell? 

Not  in  the  Christian,  Jewish,  and  Mahometan 
sense  of  the  words.  But  there  are  dark  worlds 
or  conditions  of  anguish  and  despair,  where  not  a 
ray  of  hope  of  deliverance  can  penetrate,  and 
where  the  sufferer  has  to  remain  until  he  has 
reaped  the  bitter  fruit  of  his  evil  doings.  Not  till 
then  does  his  good  Karma  (merit)  bring  about  re- 
birth as  a  human  being,  nor  is  the  opportunity 
afforded  him  to  acquire  fresh  knowledge,  and  by 
a  righteous  life,  to  re-enter  the  path  of  salvation. 
There  are  equally  bright  worlds  of  joy,  where  the 
good  man,  who  has  not  yet  arrived  at  full  redemp- 
tion, may  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  virtues.  But  if 
these  fruits  are  consumed  whilst  the  will  and  de- 
sire to  live  is  still  within  him,  he  has  to  be  re-born 
under  a  human  form.(^0 

125.  Are  there  any  evil  deeds  requiring  more  than 

one  birth-renewalf 
Certainly ;  there  are  such,  of  which  the  offender 
must  bear  the  penalty  in  a  succession  of  re-incar- 
nations in  a  lower  state. 

126.  Are  the  misdeeds  of  the  parents  visited  on 

the  children? 
No,  indeed ;  no  one  has  to  suffer  for  the  wrongs 
of  others;  it  would  be  contrary  to  the  laws  of 


52  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

eternal  justice,  whereby  guilt  and  suffering  are  so 
closely  interwoven  that  one  cannot  exist  without 
the  other. 

127.  Still  we  see  that  children,  as  a  rule,  are  like 
their  parents  in  mental  and  physical  quali- 
ties, and  that  they  inherit  from  them  good 
and  evil  propensities,  health  and  disease, 
riches  and  poverty.  Does  not  this  jact  seem 
to  re  jute  the  doctrine  of  Karmaf 

On  the  contrary,  it  proves  it.  It  is  because  we 
are  like  our  parents  in  our  innermost  being,  our 
individuality,  that  we  have  become  their  children, 
not  the  converse,  as  is  generally  believed;  it  is 
because  at  the  moment  of  our  re-incarnation  we 
have  greater  affinity  with  them  than  with  any 
other  living  being,  that  we  have  taken  flesh  from 
them.  Similar  causes  produce  similar  effects. 
The  inward  resemblance  between  parents  and 
children  must  necessarily  find  its  expression  in 
outward  form,  in  inclinations  and  aversions,  cir- 
cumstances and  the  like. 

The  qualities  of  the  parents  are  never  heredi- 
tary—  in  other  words,  never  can  be  transmitted 
from  parent  to  child.  Heredity  is  but  a  name,  and 
the  doctrine  of  Karma  and  re-incarnation  can 
alone  give  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  fact 
that  parents  and  children  have  many  qualities  in 
common. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  53 

128.  Why    then    is    there,    not    injrequently ,    a 

marked    difference    between   parents   and 
children? 

This  results  from  the  same  law.  Children,  with 
all  their  affinity  to  their  parents,  are  yet  of  sepa- 
rate individuality;  they  have  their  own  Karma, 
and  consequently  many  qualities  beside  those  they 
share  with  their  parents.  If  these  fully  develop 
in  this  earthly  career,  the  children  will  appear 
totally  different  from  their  parents.  The  closest 
affinity  between  parents  and  children  exists,  in 
fact,  only  at  the  moment  of  conception.  Later  on, 
when  separate  life  begins,  each  being  pursues  its 
own  course  of  development,  which  often  differs 
widely  from  that  of  the  parent. 

129.  Why  has  the  upright  and  just  man  often  so 

much  to  suffer  here  on  earth? 

He  suffers  for  the  wrong  committed  in  his 
former  lives.  It  is  the  consequence  of  his  un- 
favourable Karma. 

130.  How  is  it  that  the  wicked  and  unjust  man 

often  enjoys  pleasures  and  honours? 

It  is  in  consequence  of  the  merit  won  in  his 
former  lives,  of  his  favourable  Karma.  When, 
however,  the  fruits  of  his  well-doing  have  been  en- 
joyed, the  bitter  harvest  of  his  misdeeds  will  have 
to  be  reaped  in  a  succeeding  re-incarnation.  (^^) 


54  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

131.  Can  one  escape  the  consequences  of  wrong 

by  committing  suicide f 
No;  the  eternal  justice  is  inexorable  and  all 
powerful.    It  cannot  be  evaded. 

132.  Is  it  wrong  to  commit  suicide? 

No ;  so  long  as  no  wrong  is  done  any  one  there- 
by. For  man  is  perfect  master  of  his  own  life. 
This  needs  no  proof.  But  suicide  is  a  very  fool- 
ish act,  for  it  violently  cuts  a  thread  of  life  which, 
according  to  the  law  of  Karma,  has  to  be  taken  up 
again  immediately,  and  under  still  less  favourable 
conditions  than  those  which  the  deluded  man 
tried  to  escape  by  it. 

133.  Why  under  less  favourable  conditions? 
Because  our  whole  existence,  with  all  its  condi- 
tions, its  joys  and  sorrows,  is  entirely  the  result  of 
our  own  doings  and  our  own  faults.  As  long  as 
error  is  not  dispelled  and  guilt  is  not  expiated,  no 
birth-renewal  under  more  favourable  circum- 
stances can  possibly  take  place.  Whoever  is  con- 
vinced of  this  truth  will  patiently  bear  the  evils  of 
life,  intent  only  on  living  virtuously  and  on  gain- 
ing knowledge,  in  order  to  become  worthy  of  a 
happier  birth.  But  he  who,  by  foolishly  commit- 
ting suicide,  tries  to  escape  the  suffering  which  is 
conducive  to  his  amendment,  gives  proof  of  great 
deficiency  of  self-knowledge,  and  of  want  of  capa- 
bility and  will  to  improve  and  become  wise  and 
good.     In  his  delusion  he  destroys  that  fragile, 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  55 

evanescent  form  which  he  takes  for  his  real  being, 
and  he  enters  that  downward  path  which,  if  per- 
sisted in,  leads  him  to  the  dark  states  of  anguish 
and  despair. 

134.  What  is  it,  then,  in  us  which  is  the  subject  of 

birth  anew? 

The  individual  will  or  desire  to  live  which  con- 
stitutes the  essence  of  our  being,  and  which  is  re- 
born after  the  dissolution  of  our  present  material 
body  through  the  agency  of  Karma  —  that  is  to 
say,  is  reincorporated  in  another  form. 

135.  Is  not  this  individual  desire  of  life,  or  this 

individuality,  identical  with  what  is  called 
the  soul? 

No;  far  from  it.  The  belief  in  an  immortal, 
personal  soul  —  that  is,  an  indestructible,  eternal, 
separate  substance  which  has  only  a  temporary 
abode  in  the  body  —  is  regarded  by  Buddhism  as 
a  heresy  due  to  ignorance  of  the  true  nature  of  life 
and  living  beings.  The  substance  called  ^^soul'^ 
by  the  followers  of  European  religions,  is  nothing 
but  an  aggregate  of  various  higher  or  lower  facul- 
ties (Skandhas),  and  is  dissolved  after  death  into 
its  constituent  elements.  What  is  re-materialized 
in  a  fresh  birth  is  not  the  soul,  but  the  individu- 
ality. This  individuality  will  assume,  in  accord- 
ance to  its  Karma,  a  new  person  —  that  is,  a  new 
set  of  Skandhas.  (^^) 


56  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

136.  Then  the  re-incarnated  being  is,  in  fact,  no 

longer  the  same  as  before? 
It  might  seem  so  to  the  ignorant;  but  he  who 
has  just  arrived  at  true  insight  knows  certainly 
that  it  is  the  same  being  working  good  and  evil, 
and  reaping  the  fruit  thereof  in  another  re-incar- 
nation. (*") 

137.  How  long  does  the  individuality  continue  to 

renew  itself  in  repeated  births? 
Until    perfect    knowledge    and     Nirvana    is 
attained.    Then,  and  not  till  then,  is  that  haven  of 
rest  attained  where  there  is  no  more  suffering,  no 
more  death,  birth-renewal,  or  individualism. 

138.  How  is  it  that  we  have  no  remembrance  of 

our  former  lives? 
We  are  blinded  by  earthly  illusion  and  our  eyes 
are  covered  by  the  veil  of  ignorance,  so  that  we 
are  almost  or  quite  unconscious  of  our  higher 
nature.  We  are,  in  the  body,  overweighted  by 
fetters  from  which  those  who  earnestly  strive  for 
redemption  seek  ever  to  get  free. 

139.  Can  you  illustrate  this  in  any  way? 

In  the  night  we  dream,  and  in  our  dreams  we 
are  at  one  time  kings,  and  the  next  beggars  or 
captives:  sometimes  poor  and  beset  with  difficul- 
ties, at  other  times  in  the  full  tide  of  prosperity 
and  darlings  of  fortune.  Nevertheless,  it  is  one 
and  the  same  self  which  takes  on  all  these  different 
characters. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  57 

Again:  whilst  dreaming  we  do  not  remember 
other  dreams  we  have  had,  but  when  awake,  we 
remember  the  dreams  of  many  a  night.  It  is  the 
same  with  our  different  lives.  The  same  individ- 
uaUty,  the  same  self,  is  re-born  under  different 
forms ;  each  re-incarnation  is  a  dream  of  the  indi- 
vidual will  to  live,  now  terrible,  now  full  of  joy.  As 
long  as  we  are  dreaming  one  of  these  dreams  of 
life,  we  do  not  remember  our  former  life-dreams. 
But  a  Buddha,  who  has  attained  deliverance, 
dreams  no  longer.  He  is  awakened,  and  he  re- 
members all  his  former  births. 

The  Arahats,  too,  possess  the  gift  of  remember- 
ing many  of  their  former  births.  This  knowledge 
is  not,  however,  attained  until  they  have  com- 
pletely thrown  off  the  ten  fetters,  and  have  re- 
ceived the  full  fruition  of  enlightenment. 

140.  What  are  the  ten  fetters?' 

1.  The  delusion  of  self,  or  the  belief  in  the 
eternal  duration  of  self,  individuality,  soul. 

2.  Doubt  of  the  moral  order  of  the  world,  and 
of  the  way  of  deliverance. 

3.  The  superstition  that  salvation  can  be  gained 
by  outward  religious  practices,  rites,  prayers,  sacri- 
fices, worship  of  relics,  pilgrimages,  and  various 
other  forms  and  ceremonies. 

4.  Sensuality,  with  its  passions  and  desires. 

5.  Hatred  and  ill-will  towards  our  fellow-men. 

6.  Love  of  life  on  earth. 

7.  Desire  for  life  in  Heaven  or  Paradise. 


58  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

8.  Pride. 

9.  Self-righteousness. 
10.  Ignorance  (Avidya). 

141.  Are  not  repentance  and  expiation  conducive 

to  perjection  and  deliverance? 

YeS;  they  are  so,  but  repentance  and  expia- 
tion cannot  bribe  eternal  justice.  Nothing  can 
be  won  or  wrung  from  this  by  prayers  and 
penance. 

Repentance  is  of  value  only  so  far  as  it  is  the 
expression  of  a  deeply  felt  sorrow  for  the  wrong 
we  have  committed,  and  so  far  as  it  prompts  us 
to  make  amends  for  such  wrong  to  the  limit  of  our 
power  and  do  better  for  the  future. 

Passive  repentance,  however,  and  idle  lamenta- 
tions are  of  no  good  whatever. 

Equally  profitless  is  the  beUef  in  the  efficacy  of 
all  outward  acts,  such  as  penances,  self-mortifica- 
tions and  the  like. 

The  true  repentance  of  the  Buddhist  consists  in 
his  resolute  determination  to  forsake  his  evil  ways 
and  to  enter  the  path  of  salvation,  and  his  true 
atonement  in  his  conquest  over  his  selfishness  his 
evil  passions  and  desires. 

142.  Did  the  Buddha  teach  tnat  only  followers  of 

his  own  religion  can  attain  redemption? 
No;  the  Buddha  declared  the  reign  of  moral 
order  in  the  universe  and  of  eternal  justice,  which 
does  not  regard  the  belief  or  unbelief  of  man,  but 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  59 

his  inward  state  of  mind,  his  good  or  bad  intention. 
Every  one  meets  with  the  recompense  due  to 
him,  whether  he  be  Buddhist  or  not.  Deliverance 
is,  therefore,  equally  attainable  by  non-believers, 
but  the  difnculties  are  greater,  and  there  is  the 
ever-present  danger  of  missing  one's  aim. 

We  may  liken  this  to  a  man  who  follows  a  bad 
guide,  and  possibly  yet  reaches  the  end  of  his 
journey  after  long  and  weary  wanderings  through 
bogs  and  mires,  across  wastes  and  rivers  and 
mountains;  whilst  another,  walking  in  the  steps 
of  a  good  guide,  has  only  to  go  straight  on,  turning 
neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left,  to  arrive  quickly 
and  safely  at  his  journey's  end.  The  best  and 
safest  guide  is  the  Buddha  only. 

143.  Does  Buddhism  teach  its  jollowers  to  hate, 
despise,  or  persecute  non-believers f 
Quite  the  reverse.  It  teaches  us  to  love  all  men 
as  brethren,  without  distinction  of  race,  nation- 
ality or  creed ;  to  respect  the  convictions  of  men  of 
other  beliefs,  and  to  be  careful  to  avoid  all  reli- 
gious controversy.  The  Buddhist  religion  is  im- 
bued with  the  purest  spirit  of  perfect  tolera- 
tion. ('^')  Even  where  dominant,  it  has  never 
oppressed  or  persecuted  non-believers,  and  its 
success  has  never  been  attended  with  bloodshed. 
The  true  Buddhist  does  not  feel  hatred,  but  only 
pity  and  compassion  for  him  who  will  not 
acknowledge  nor  listen  to  the  truth,  to  his  own  loss 
and  injury  only. 


60  A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

144.  Are  prayers,  sacrifices,  rites,  and  other  reli- 

gious ceremonies  requisite  to  reach  Nir- 
vana? 

The  Buddhist  religion  does  not  prescribe  prayers 
and  sacrifices  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  word.  But 
the  repetition  of  passages  from  the  sacred  books, 
the  reading  and  devout  listening  to  sermons  and 
discourses,  are  considered  to  be  of  great  help  in 
raising  the  spirit  of  the  believer  in  the  hour  of 
temptation,  and  in  strengthening  his  faith.  All 
outward  rites  and  ceremonies  serve  the  same  pur- 
pose, and  so  far  are  important  and  even  essential 
to  the  layman,  as  they  constantly  put  before  him 
the  true  significance  of  life,  withdraw  his  attention 
from  the  temptations  of  the  world,  and  point  him 
to  the  final  goal. 

But  Bhikshu  who  has  entered  the  path  of 
deliverance  and  who  aims  at  higher  development, 
stands  no  longer  in  need  of  such  means  of  assist- 
ance. 

145.  Does  the  doctrine  prescribe  the  worship  of 

images,  statues,  relics  of  the  Buddha  and 

his  disciples? 
No;  according  to  the  Buddha's  teaching  these 
practices  are  of  no  help  to  the  furtherance  of  true 
knowledge,  and  may  easily  lead  to  error  and  super- 
stition. 

146.  Why,  then,  are  the  Buddhists  in  the  habit  of 

offering  flowers  and  burning  incense  before 
the  Buddha's  statues? 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  61 

The  lay  adherents  are  wont  to  do  so  in  order 
to  give  expression,  by  an  outward  act,  to  their 
veneration  and  gratitude.  Europeans  in  the  same 
way  place  flowers  and  wreaths  on  the  monuments 
of  their  great  men,  and  on  the  graves  of  their 
departed.  Such  a  custom  has  therefore  nothing 
objectionable  in  it,  but  it  were  a  great  mistake  to 
attach  any  special  merit  to  it. 

147.  Are  there  such  occurrences  as  miracles? 

No;  a  real  miracle  would  be  arbitrary  viola- 
tion of  the  universal  laws  of  Nature.  Buddhism 
teaches  that  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth  are 
subject  to  natural  laws.  This  reign  of  law  having 
for  its  basis  the  moral  order  of  the  universe 
(Karma),  binds  even  the  highest  gods. 

14S.  But  are  there  not  many  facts  and  occurrences 
quite  inexplicable  to  us? 
Yes,  a  great  many;  only  they  must  not  be 
looked  upon  as  miracles.  They  are  brought  about 
by  natural  laws  which  are  yet  unknown  to  us,  but 
are  fully  understood  and  recognized  by  the  Bud- 
dha. (^^) 

149.  Wherein  does  Buddhism  essentially  differ 
from  other  religions? 
Buddhism  teaches  the  reign  of  perfect  goodness 
and  wisdom  without  a  personal  God,  continuance 
of  individuality  without  an  immortal  soul,  eternal 
happiness  without  a  local  heaven,  the  way  of 
salvation  without  a  vicarious  Saviour,  redemption 
worked  out  by  each  one  himself  without  any 


62  A   BUDDHIST    CATECHISM 

prayers,  sacrifices  and  penances,  without  the 
ministry  of  ordained  priests,  without  the  interces- 
sion of  saints,  without  Divine  mercy.  Finally, 
it  teaches  that  supreme  perfection  is  attainable 
even  in  this  life  and  on  this  earth. 

150.  Did  the  Buddha  recognize  these  truths  in 

the    night    of    enlightenment    under    the 
Bodhi-treef 
Yes ;  these  and  many  others  which  have  become 
the  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Buddhist  religion 
and  are  written  down  in  the  holy  books. 

151.  Were  these  holy  books  composed  and  written 

by  the  Buddha  himself? 
Neither  by  him  nor  by  any  of  the  brethren  who 
were  the  Buddha's  first  disciples.  It  was  not  the 
custom  in  India,  in  those  times,  to  set  in  writing 
any  religious  or  philosophic  truths.  They  were 
taught  by  word  of  mouth  from  master  to  pupil, 
and  impressed  on  the  memory  by  incessant  repeti- 
tions of  words  and  whole  passages. (*^)  In  this  way 
they  were  handed  down  from  one  generation  to 
another.  In  this  same  way  the  Buddhist  doctrine 
came  down  to  us  by  tradition;  several  centuries 
after  the  Buddha's  decease,  at  the  third  great 
council  of  Pataliputra,  in  King  Asoka's  reign,  the 
sacred  writings  were  inscribed  on  palm-leaves  by 
the  Arahats. 

152.  Who  ivas  King  Asokaf 

One  of  the  most  powerful  monarchs  of  India. 
He  reigned  from  259-222  before  our  era,  became 


A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  63 

a  convert  to  Buddhism,  and  was  most  devoted  to 
the  spread  of  his  newly  adopted  religion  through- 
out the  world.  To  this  day  the  stone  pillars  on 
which  by  his  order,  the  moral  precepts  of  the 
Buddha  were  engraved,  bear  witness  of  King 
Asoka's  energy,  and  his  name  is  held  in  veneration 
and  respect  by  every  Buddhist. 

153.  Do  the  holy  books  contain  anything  that  is 

not  the  pure  truth? 
Everything  in  the  holy  books  regarding  the 
subject  of  religion,  human  suffering,  the  Karma 
and  the  way  to  Nirvana,  is  the  pure  unadulterated 
truth.  But  there  are  certain  portions  of  the  Scrip- 
tures that  contain  various  errors. 

154.  Did  the  Buddha  teach  anything  erroneous? 
No ;  a  Buddha  does  not  teach  anything  untrue. 

In  the  course  of  many  ages,  however,  certain  books 
and  passages,  not  originally  part  of  the  Pitakas, 
were  inserted,  and  these  contain  a  number  of 
erroneous  statements. 

155.  What  books  and  passages  are  these? 

All  those  teaching  of  the  primary  origin  of  the 
world,  of  the  shape  and  condition  of  the  earth, 
and  of  natural  science  in  general. 

These  additions  are  not  the  teaching  of  the 
Buddha,  and  need  not  be  adopted  by  any  be- 
liever. (**) 


64  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

156.  Decay  being  inherent  in  all  things,  does  it 
not  follow  that  the  Buddha's  teaching  will 
equally  pass  away? 

No;  the  doctrine  of  the  Buddha  will  not  pass 
away  as  long  as  the  earth  exists,  for  its  pervading 
spirit  is  Eternal  Truth  itself,  which  was  embodied 
in  the  person  of  the  Buddha  and  in  his  words  and 
ideas. 

The  outward  form  of  the  doctrine  is  subject  to 
change,  for  in  succeeding  cycles  of  many  thousand 
years'  duration,  new  Buddhas  will  arise  and  teach 
the  doctrine  of  Suffering  and  Redemption  under 
new  forms,  and  in  harmony  with  the  demands  of 
new  times. 


THE  BROTHERHOOD  OF  THE 
ELECT  (SANGHA)  ('') 

157.  What  is  the  Order  or  Brotherhood  of  the 

Elect? 
It  is  the  assemblage  of  all  those  true  disciples 
and  followers  of  the  Buddha  who  have  withdrawn 
from  the  world  and  entered  the  sublime  eightfold 
path. 

158.  Who  is  entitled  to  admission  to  the  Order? 
Every  one,  without  distinction  of  rank  or  sex, 

who  has  given  testimony  of  his  resolute  determi- 
nation to  enter  the  path,  provided  he  is  free  from 
those  impediments  which  exclude  from  admission 
into  the  Brotherhood. 

159.  What  applicants  are  refused  admittance  into 

the  Order? 
All  those  suffering  from  infectious  or  incurable 
diseases ;  all  children  below  the  age  of  fifteen ;  all 
slaves  and  bondsmen  not  yet  freed;  all  debtors 
and  persons  answerable  to  the  law,  and  not  yet 
acquitted;  all  officials  and  soldiers  engaged  in 
active  service;  and  all  minors  who  have  not  ob- 
tained the  consent  of  their  parents  and  guar- 
dians. 

65 


66  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

160.  What  are  the  preliminaries  to  reception  into 

the  Brotherhood? 
The  novice  first  enters  the  Order  as  a  pupil 
(Samanera),  and  has  to  pass  through  a  time  of 
probation  under  the  superintendence  of  a  master, 
chosen  by  the  pupil  himself  from  amongst  the 
brethren. 

161.  How  long  does  this  novitiate  last? 

Four  months  at  least  in  the  case  of  grown-up 
people  who  have  already  been  members  of  some 
religious  order;  minors  remain  in  a  state  of  proba- 
tion until  they  come  of  age.  With  all  other  candi- 
dates the  length  of  time  of  probation  depends  on 
the  decision  of  the  spiritual  teacher  and  on  the 
capabilities  of  the  pupil. 

162.  What  are  the  duties  of  a  Samanera  f 

From  the  day  of  reception  into  the  Order,  the 
Samanera  lies  under  the  same  obligations  as  the 
brethren.  He  must  renounce  the  world  and  all 
its  doings,  keep  the  ten  vows,  devote  himself  to 
the  diligent  study  of  the  holy  doctrine,  and  faith- 
fully observe  the  rules  of  the  Order,  and  concen- 
trate all  the  powers  of  his  mind  on  the  attainment 
of  the  one  great  aim  —  the  attainment  of  moral 
and  spiritual  perfection. 

163.  What  are  the  eight  parts  or  divisions  of  the 

sublime  eightfold  path? 
1.  Right  views,  free  from  prejudice,  supersti- 
tion, and  delusion. 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  67 

2.  Right  aspirations,  worthy  of  the  noble,  in- 
telligent, and  earnest  man,  and  tending  to  the 
highest  aim. 

3.  Right  speech  —  kind,  simple,  and  truthful. 

4.  Right  conduct  —  conciliatory,  upright,  pure, 
and  merciful. 

5.  Right  mode  of  livelihood,  which  causes  no 
harm  or  danger  to  any  living  being. 

6.  Right  effort,  bent  on  overcoming  ignorance, 
evil  desires,  and  the  lust  of  life. 

7.  Right  mindfulness,  ever  concentrating  the 
attention  on  the  holy  doctrine  and  the  precepts. 

8.  Right  recollectedness,  complete  withdrawal 
of  the  senses,  the  attention,  and  the  thoughts  from 
external  things,  and  the  sinking  of  consciousness 
of  self  and  will  in  Nirvana. 

164.  What  are  the  ten  vows  of  the  Brotherhood? 

1.  Not  to  kill  or  to  injure  any  living  being. 

2.  Not  to  take  aught  not  one's  own  or  that  is 
not  freely  given. 

3.  To  live  in  absolute  continuence. 

4.  To  speak  the  truth  always;  not  to  deceive, 
nor  to  speak  evil  of  another. 

5.  Not  to  use  intoxicating  drinks. 

6.  Not  to  eat  at  unseasonable  times. 

7.  Not  to  take  part  in  dancing,  singing  light 
songs,  frequenting  public  shows,  nor  any  other 
worldly  dissipations  and  amusements. 

8.  Not  to  wear  ornaments,  use  scents,  oils, 
cosmetics,  or  whatever  else  tends  to  vanity. 


68  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

9.  Not  to  use  soft  and  luxurious  beds,  but  to 
sleep  on  a  hard  low  couch. 

10.  Not  to  live  otherwise  than  in  voluntary- 
poverty. 

165.  What    are    the    rules    laid   down    for    the 

brethren? 
They  are  the  precepts  for  leading  a  pure  and 
holy  life,  given  by  the  Buddha  and  contained  in 
the  Vinaya.    They  may  be  comprised  under  the 
following  four  categories: 

1.  Precepts  relative  to  outward  order  and 

discipline. 

2.  Instructions  as  to  the  obtaining  and  proper 

use  of  food,  clothing,  and  other  neces- 
saries of  life. 

3.  Rules  of  conduct,  how  to  overcome  all 

sensual  lusts  and  desires. 

4.  Means  for  acquiring  higher   self-culture 

and  perfection. 

The  Samanera,  after  having  been  thoroughly 
instructed  how  to  practise  these  vows,  rules,  and 
precepts,  and  having  passed  satisfactorily  the  time 
of  his  probation,  is  then  solemnly  received  into 
the  Order  as  Brother  (Bhikshu,  Samana)  by  the 
Chapter. 

166.  Can  a  brother  leave  the  Order  after  once 

having  been  admitted  into  it? 
Yes;  at  any  time.    The  Buddhist  doctrine  and 
the  rules  of  the  Brotherhood  forbid  any  compul- 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  69 

sion.  If  any  one  wishes  to  return  into  the  world, 
he  has  merely  to  confess  his  want  of  self-control 
to  the  Superior.  He  is  not  detained  by  the  Order, 
but  free  to  retract  his  vows  without  incurring  any 
disgrace  or  dishonour. 

That  Samana,  however,  who  disgraces  the  robe 
he  wears  and  the  Brotherhood  he  belongs  to  by 
some  grave  transgression  of  the  vows,  is  liable  to 
the  severest  punishment  —  viz.,  expulsion  from 
the  Order. 

167.  Are  the  brethren  jree  to  live  wherever  they 

like? 
No;  they  are  enjoined  to  live  in  monasteries 
(Viharas),  or  as  hermits.  (*^) 

168.  In  what  relation  does  the  Brotherhood  stand 

to  the  Laity  (Upasakas)? 
Their  mutual  relation  is  a  purely  moral  one, 
free  from  all  outward  obligation.  In  imitation  of 
their  master,  the  Buddha,  the  mendicant  brethren 
are  to  be  to  the  laity  a  living  example  of  self- 
control,  self-denial  and  charity.  When  desired  to 
do  so,  they  are  to  explain  and  expound  the  doc- 
trine to  the  laymen,  and  be  ready  at  all  times  to 
give  them  spiritual  advice  and  assistance  in  all 
the  various  circumstances  of  life  when  they  stand 
in  need  of  comfort  and  consolation. 

169.  How  are  the  Laymen  to  behave  towards  the 

Brotherhood? 
They  are  to  show  the  members  of  the  Order 
due  respect  and  reverence,  and  provide  for  their 


70  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

daily  sustenance  —  clothing  and  the  like.  By  so 
doing  they  are  gaining  merit,  and  they  are  pro- 
moting their  own  happiness.  (*^) 

170.  Does  the  Order  possess  any  spiritual  power 

over  the  Laity  f 
No;  the  Buddhist  knows  of  no  excommunica- 
tion, no  ecclesiastical  laws  and  penances,  no 
rigorous  disciplinary  system.  But  the  Order 
repudiates  all  communion  with  an  Upasaka  who 
has  been  guilty  of  some  grave  moral  offence,  or 
who  has  spoken  contemptuously  of  the  Buddha, 
the  doctrine,  or  the  Order.  In  token  of  his  being 
henceforth  unworthy  to  provide  for  the  wants  of 
the  brethren,  they  upset  before  him  the  alms-bowl 
they  are  in  the  habit  of  carrying  about  with  them. 

171.  What  in  the  words  of  the  doctrine  should  the 

true  Bhikshu  bef 

If  a  Bhikshu  should  desire,  so  the  holy 
Scripture  says,  to  attain  the  state  of  perfect 
peace,  and  Nirvana: 

Let  him  be  without  guile,  upright  and  con- 
scientious, gentle-spoken,  kind,  modest,  content, 
and  having  few  wants,  not  over-anxious,  keeping 
repose  of  heart,  without  presumption,  without 
desire. 

Let  him  do  nothing  unworthy;  let  him  live  in 
thought,  word,  and  deed  in  the  spirit  of  the  doc- 
trine and  the  precepts;  let  him  strengthen  him- 
self in  the  knowledge  of  the  four  grand  truths, 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  71 

and  walk  without  blame  in  the  sublime  eightfold 
path. 

Let  him  not  rejoice  in  good  fortune,  nor  de- 
spond in  calamity;  let  him  not  be  elated  by 
approbation,  nor  cast  down  by  dishonour  and  dis- 
grace; but  let  him  ever  keep  that  equanimity 
which  results  from  the  cessation  of  all  desire. 

Let  him  be  mindful  that  it  is  not  the  dress 
which  makes  the  Samana,  not  the  outward  ob- 
servance of  the  vows  and  precepts;  not  a  life  of 
retirement,  poverty  and  lowliness,  nor  any  amount 
of  learning;  but  that  he  alone,  who  is  pure  of 
heart  and  free  from  all  concupiscence  and  desire, 
is  a  true  disciple  of  the  Tathagata. 

Therefore,  let  him  pursue  knowledge,  increase 
in  holiness  and  self-control,  and  in  charity. 

Let  him  be  kind  and  merciful  towards  all  living 
beings,  far  and  near,  the  strong  and  the  weak,  the 
good  and  the  bad.  Let  him  not  deceive  nor  hurt, 
nor  threaten,  nor  despise  any  one.  Like  a  mother 
pitying  her  own  child,  so  let  him  look  with  pity 
and  compassion  on  every  being. 

Serene  and  unruffled,  like  a  deep  Alpine  lake, 
must  be  the  mind  of  him  who  walks  in  the  sublime 
eightfold  path. 

For  he  who  has  overcome  error  and  delusion, 
hope  and  fear,  passion  and  desire,  love  and  hatred 
—  who  lives  in  purity,  who  has  got  rid  of  the  lust 
of  life,  and  obtained  supreme  intuition  —  has 
reached  the  end  of  suffering  and  birth-renewal,  has 
entered  on  Nirvana. 


APPENDIX 

VERSES   FROM   THE   DHAMMAPADA.^ 

Earnestness  is  the  path  to  Nirvana,  thoughtlessness 
is  the  path  of  death.  Those  who  are  in  earnest  do  not 
die,  those  who  are  thoughtless  are  as  if  dead  already. 

Not  the  perversities  of  others,  not  their  sins  of  com- 
mission and  omission,  but  his  own  misdeeds  and  negli- 
gences should  a  wise  man  take  heed  to. 

Like  a  beautiful  flower  full  of  colour  but  without 
scent,  are  the  fine  but  fruitless  words  of  him  who  does 
not  act  correspondingly  thereto. 

Long  is  the  night  to  him  who  is  awake,  long  is  a  mile 
to  him  who  is  tired,  long  is  the  way  of  transmigration 
to  the  foolish  who  do  not  know  the  true  doctrine. 

"These  children  and  this  wealth  belong  to  me,"  with 
such  thoughts  a  fool  is  tormented.  He  himself  does 
not  belong  to  himself,  how  much  less  sons  and  wealth. 

As  long  as  the  evil  deed  does  not  bear  fruit,  the  fool 
thinks  it  like  honey ;  but  when  it  ripens,  then  the  fool 
suffers  grief. 

Most  people  are  born  again;  evil-doers  go  to  the 
dark  worlds,  righteous  people  go  to  a  bright  state. 
Those  who  are  free  from  all  fetters  and  worldly  de- 
sires attain  Nirvana  —  they  are  never  born  again. 

Let  no  man  think  lightly  of  evil,  saying  in  his  heart, 

1  The  Dhammapada  forms  part  of  the  Sutta  Pitaka,  and 
is  a  most  beautiful  collection  of  verses  and  passages  from 
the  three  Pitakas.  (See  Max  Mliller,  "Sacred  Books  of  the 
East,"  vol.  X.) 

73 


74  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

it  will  not  come  nigh  unto  me.  Even  by  water-drops  a 
pitcher  is  filled ;  the  fool  becomes  full  of  evil,  even  if  he 
gather  it  little  by  little. 

Let  a  man  avoid  evil  deeds  as  a  rich  merchant 
avoids  a  dangerous  road,  as  a  man  who  loves  life 
avoids  poison. 

He  who  has  no  wound  on  his  hand,  may  touch 
poison.  There  is  no  evil  for  one  who  does  not  commii, 
evil. 

Aqueduct-makers  lead  the  water,  fletchers  shape  the 
arrow,  carpenters  plane  a  log  of  wood;  wise  people 
fashion  themselves. 

If  a  man  conquer  in  battle  a  thousand  times  a  thou- 
sand men,  and  if  a  man  conquer  himself,  he  is  the 
greater  conqueror. 

One's  own  self  conquered  is  better  than  all  other 
people.  Not  an  angel  or  Mara,  or  even  a  god,  could 
change  into  defeat  the  victory  of  a  man  who  has  van- 
quished himself  and  always  lives  under  restraint. 

Do  not  follow  the  evil  path,  do  not  live  in  thought- 
lessness, do  not  adhere  to  false  doctrine,  be  a  friend  of 
the  world.  Rouse  thyself,  do  not  be  idle,  follow  the 
law  of  virtue.  The  virtuous  rest  in  bliss  in  this  world 
and  in  the  next. 

From  pleasure  comes  grief,  from  pleasure  comes 
fear.  He  who  is  free  from  love  of  pleasure  knows 
neither  grief  nor  fear. 

From  concupiscence  comes  grief,  from  concupiscence 
comes  fear.  He  who  is  free  from  concupiscence,  knows 
neither  grief  nor  fear. 

From  illusion  comes  grief,  from  illusion  comes  fear. 
He  who  is  free  from  illusion,  knows  neither  grief  nor 
fear. 

There  is  no  fire  like  passion,  there  is  no  ill-luck  like 
hatred,  there  is  no  pain  like  this  body,  there  is  no 
happiness  like  Nirvana. 

The  best  of  ways  is  the  eightfold,  the  best  of  truths 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  75 

the  four  words,  the  best  of  virtues  passionlessness,  the 
best  of  men  he  who  has  true  insight. 

Let  a  man  overcome  anger  by  love,  let  him  over- 
come evil  by  good,  let  him  overcome  the  greedy  by 
liberality,  the  liar  by  truth. 

By  oneself  the  evil  is  done,  by  oneself  one  suffers,  by 
oneself  merit  is  won,  by  oneself  one  is  purified. 

Purity  and  impurity  belong  to  oneself,  no  one  can 
purify  another. 

You  yourself  must  make  an  effort.  The  Buddhas 
are  only  proclaimers  of  the  truth.  The  thoughtful  only 
who  enter  the  path,  are  freed  from  all  fetters. 

For  self  is  the  lord  of  self,  who  else  could  be  the  lord? 
He  who  has  well  subdued  his  own  self,  verily,  that  man 
has  found  a  lord  such  as  few  can  find. 


NOTES 

Note  1.  —  It  has  often  been  a  subject  of  controversy 
among  scholars  in  Europe  whether  Buddhism  is  more 
appropriately  called  religion  or  moral  philosophy.  It 
is,  in  fact,  both.  It  combines  the  sublimest  moral 
doctrines  with  the  profoundest  philosophic  truths. 
Buddhism  teaches  its  adherents  the  laws  and  force  of 
the  universe,  reveals  to  man  the  essential  nature  of  his 
being,  points  out  to  him  his  true  destiny,  passing  far 
beyond  this  transient  life  of  earth ;  enlightens  his  mind, 
rouses  his  latent  moral  powers  and  faculties,  kindles  in 
him  the  love  for  what  is  noble  and  good,  and  enables 
him,  by  devoting  his  whole  mind  to  the  conscientious 
fulfilment  of  its  precepts,  to  attain  the  supreme  goal  of 
all  living  beings  —  namely,  deliverance,  eternal  peace, 
Nirvana.  Buddhism  must  therefore  be  called  a 
religion. 

At  the  same  time  it  is  also  a  system  of  philosophy, 
for  it  does  not  demand  of  its  adherents  a  blind  be- 
lief, but  an  unshaken  reflection.  The  doctrines  of 
Buddhism  are  not  based  on  the  arbitrary  will  of  an 
incomprehensible  God-Creator,  or  a  supernatural 
revelation,  but  on  the  natural  conditions  of  life  and  of 
the  world.  Buddhism  does  not  attempt  to  frighten  the 
evil-doer  by  threats  of  eternal  punishment,  but  it  seeks 
to  enlighten  him  w^hose  vision  is  obscured  b}^  earthly 
illusions,  so  that  he  may  perceive  the  truth;  leads 
him  who  is  in  earnest  along  the  path  of  spiritual 
development  to  the  supreme  end,  where  earthly  things 
vanish  like  shadows,  and  where  the  sad,  apparently 

77 


78  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

inexplicable  contradictions  of  human  life  find  their 
solution  in  the  knowledge  of  what  is  eternal  and  un- 
changeable. 

Note  2.  —  The  Sakyas  belonged  to  the  great  Aryan 
race,  and  the  region  inhabited  by  them  was  situated  in 
the  north-east  of  India,  at  the  foot  of  the  Himalayas. 
Their  capital  was  Kapilavasthu,  forty  miles  from 
Benares,  on  the  river  Rohini,  now  called  Kohana. 

Note  3.  —  There  were  already  in  India  recluses  and 
ascetics  many  centuries  before  the  birth  of  the  Buddha. 
They  were  either  living  together  in  small  forest  huts  of 
bambu,  absorbed  in  the  study  of  the  holy  mystic  wTit- 
ings  (the  Upanishads  of  the  Vedas) ,  or  separately  in 
caves  and  under  trees.  A  great  number,  too,  were 
homeless  wanderers,  begging  their  bread  from  door  to 
door,  and  inflicting  on  themselves  the  most  cruel  tor- 
tures, in  order  to  extinguish  all  sensations,  to  free  the 
soul  from  every  earthly  tie,  and  to  attain  union  with 
Brahma. 

Note  4.  —  The  holy  books  of  the  Buddhist  give  the 
following  account  of  these  incidents: 

During  one  of  his  drives  in  the  park,  Prince  Sidd- 
hartha  unexpectedly  met  an  old  man  broken  with  age 
and  infirmity,  who,  leaning  on  his  stick,  could  hardly 
drag  himself  along.  Siddhartha,  greatly  astonished, 
inquired  of  his  charioteer,  Channa,  who  that  extraor- 
dinary being  was.  'An  old  man,'  w^as  Channa's  reply. 
'Was  he  born  in  that  state?'  asked  the  prince.  'No,  my 
lord;  he  once  was  as  young  and  as  blooming  as  you 
are.'  'Are  there  any  more  of  these  old  men?'  continued 
the  prince,  more  and  more  amazed.  'A  great  many 
more.'  'And  how  did  he  come  to  this  miserable  state?' 
'It  is  the  appointed  lot  of  all  men  to  grow  old  and 
decrepit  unless  they  die  in  their  youth.'  Tor  me  too, 
Channa?'   'Yes,  my  lord.' 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  79 

This  incident  made  so  deep  an  impression  on  the 
young  prince  that  he  ordered  his  charioteer  to  return, 
for  the  park  had  lost  all  charms  for  him. 

Another  time,  when  he  was  driving  out,  he  saw  a 
man  infected  with  leprosy.  On  Channa's  explaining  to 
him  the  nature  of  the  sick  man's  complaint,  the  prince 
was  so  affected  that  he  gave  up  every  amusement  and 
began  seriously  to  reflect  on  human  suffering.  On  a 
third  occasion,  some  time  after,  he  saw  a  dead  body 
lying  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  This  sight  produced 
such  an  effect  on  him  that  he  instantly  turned  back, 
exclaiming,  ^Woe  to  all  human  beings!  Is  there  no 
means  to  destroy  forever  suffering  and  death  renewed 
at  every  birth-renewal?'  This  question  preoccupied 
him  incessantly.  A  final  accidental  meeting  with  a 
mendicant  put  an  end  to  his  doubts  and  anxiety.  The 
mendicant  wore  a  yellow  robe  such  as  the  Buddhist 
Bhikshu  now.  His  features  and  demeanour  were  ex- 
pressive of  the  deep  calm  and  serenity  of  his  mind. 
This  prophetic  sight,  for  such  we  must  consider  it, 
showed  the  prince  the  way  to  a  solution  of  all  the 
manj^  harassing  problems  of  existence.  He  forth- 
with resolved  to  retire  from  the  world  and  to  enter  the 
path  which  alone  leads  to  perfection. 

This  allegory,  clothed  in  the  form  of  a  legend,  em- 
bodies the  profound  truth  that  through  conviction  of 
the  vanity  and  evanescence  of  life  alone,  men  are  led 
to  renounce  the  world  and  to  experience  that  total 
change  of  heart  which  all  saints  and  martyrs  have 
undergone,  and  which  to  the  worldly  minded  man 
seems  an  utter  impossibility. 

Note  5.  —  The  doctrine  of  re-birth  or  re-incarnation 
is  the  most  ancient  and  venerable  truth  possessed  by 
mankind.  It  is  that  primitive  religious  sense  of  which 
we  seem  to  have  an  innate  knowledge  unless  prejudices 
and  errors  have  been  instilled  in  our  minds  from  early 


80  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

youth.  It  is  conspicuous  in  the  different  systems  of 
religion  of  all  civilized  nations,  with  the  sole  exceptions 
of  Jews,  Christians,  and  Mahometans,  and  forms  the 
corner-stone  of  all  other  doctrines.  Even  in  Christian 
and  Mahometan  countries  great  and  wise  men  have  at 
all  times  clung  to  it  in  secret.  It  only  can  emancipate 
us  from  the  false  belief  that  man  has  been  created  out 
of  nothing  by  an  almighty  God,  and  that  he  has  even 
to  be  grateful  for  the  doubtful  gift  of  life.  The  doc- 
trine of  birth-renewal  alone  restores  to  man  that  true 
freedom  of  the  will  (spontaneity)  which  is  incom- 
patible with  the  belief  in  a  God-Creator;  only  this  is 
based  on  justice,  and  justifies  the  sublime  saying  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth:  "Whatever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap."  The  doctrine  of  re-incarnation  is 
the  key  to  the  mystery  of  our  existence,  and  gives  a 
satisfactory  explanation  to  the  many  puzzling  ques- 
tions about  the  inequality  of  condition  of  the  rich  and 
poor,  the  righteous  and  the  unrighteous,  and  the  mani- 
fold miseries  of  suffering  humanity.  It  teaches  us 
that,  like  matter  and  force,  our  innermost  being  is  in- 
destructible. We  have  entered  this  life  of  our  own 
will  and  continued  it  through  endless  changing  forms 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world  up  to  this  present  day. 
Death  is  not  annihilation,  it  is  the  transition  from  one 
impermanent  form  into  another.  Let  him  who  de- 
lights in  life  take  comfort;  no  God  and  no  devil  can  de- 
prive him  thereof.  Man's  fate  rests  entirely  with  him- 
self and  on  his  own  will ;  there  are  innumerable  birth- 
renewals  in  store  for  him  in  which  he  will  reap  the 
fruits  of  his  good  and  evil  deeds. 

But  there  is  a  way  of  release  open  to  him  who  is 
weary  of  renewed  existence  with  its  accompanying  joys 
and  sorrows.  Let  him  but  pursue  it  with  firm  resolve 
and  strenuous  effort,  and  he  is  sure  to  reach  the  ulti- 
mate goal  where  individuality,  which  of  necessity  is 
limited,  suffering  and  imperfect,  will  be  merged  into 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  81 

what  is  eternal  and  immutable.  All  living  things, 
consciously  or  unconsciously,  aspire  to  this  state  of 
bliss,  and  nothing  but  their  own  illusions  deter  them 
from  it. 

Note  6.  —  Queen  Maya  was  no  longer  living,  she 
had  died  seven  days  after  the  child's  birth.  It  is  the 
fate  of  the  mother  of  every  future  Buddha,  for  the 
womb  that  has  given  birth  to  a  Buddha  cannot  after- 
wards bring  forth  a  common  mortal. 

Note  7.  —  This  place,  where  for  many  years  the 
Buddha  had  given  himself  up  to  the  severest  penances, 
and  where  the  light  of  truth  rose  within  him,  was  after- 
wards called  "Buddha  Gaya,"  that  is  to  say,  the  hermi- 
tage of  the  Buddha.  When,  a  thousand  years  later, 
Buddhism  had  spread  over  the  whole  of  Central  and 
Eastern  Asia,  temples  and  monasteries,  inhabited  by 
numbers  of  Bhikshus,  were  erected  on  the  spot,  which 
became  the  favourite  and  chief  resort  of  pilgrims  from 
all  the  different  Buddhist  countries.  A  ruined  temple 
still  marks  the  place. 

Note  8.  —  Not  only  the  sublime  foimder  of  the  Bud- 
dhist religion,  but  likewise  many  Christian  saints 
have  experienced  in  themselves  the  ineflScacy  of  pen- 
ance. "Self-mortification  does  not  even  lead  to  a 
favoiu-able  re-birth,  much  less  to  deliverance,'^  says 
Nagasena,  the  great  apostle  of  the  Buddhists  of  the 
North. 

For  this  reason,  Buddhism  rejects  all  self-torture 
and  mortification  of  the  flesh  as  useless  and  injurious, 
and  directs  its  whole  attention  to  the  purification  of 
heart  and  will  from  every  evil  passion  and  desire  to 
the  increase  of  self-culture  and  superior  knowledge. 
The  first  step  to  it  is  the  voluntary  giving  up  of  all 
possessions,  sensual  delights,  worldly  desires,  the  vow; 
of  poverty  and  of  chastity. 


82  A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

Note  9.  —  This  tree  is  called  by  Buddhists  Bodhi,  or 
Botree  —  i.e.^  tree  of  knowledge  —  by  botanists,  Ficus 
religiosa.  An  offshoot  of  the  original  tree  is  still  seen 
growing  on  the  ruined  temple  of  Buddha  Gaya,  not  far 
from  the  present  Rajgir.  Another  branch  was  taken  to 
Ceylon  and  planted  near  Anuradhapura,  the  ancient 
capital  of  the  island.  This  still  flourishes,  and  is  the 
oldest  historical  tree  existent. 

Note  10.  —  Mara,  the  tempter  and  prince  of  this 
world,  plays  about  the  same  part  in  the  Buddhist  re- 
ligion as  Satan,  the  prince  of  darkness,  does  in  the 
Christian  religion.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  tempted  in 
the  wilderness  by  Satan  in  the  same  way  as  the  Bud- 
dha was  by  Mara.  This  allegory  of  course  represents 
a  mental  conflict. 

Note  11.  —  Buddhism  neither  denies  nor  affirms  the 
existence  of  gods ;  they  are  not  required  for  the  attain- 
ment of  moral  perfection  and  salvation.  Every  one  is 
free  to  believe  in  one  or  in  a  plurality  of  gods,  if  he  has 
a  wish  to  do  so ;  but  he  must  remember  that  all* gods 
pass  away  as  we  do,  and  are  subject  to  birth-renewal, 
even  if  their  lives  are  of  millions  of  years'  duration, 
and  that  the  saint  (Arahat)  who  has  worked  out  his 
salvation,  and  above  all  the  Buddha,  is  superior  to 
any  god.  The  word  gods  "Devanta,"  mentioned  above, 
means  inhabitants  of  higher  and  brighter  worlds. 

Note  12.  —  An  Arahat  is  one  who  has  attained  the 
fourth  and  supreme  stage  of  holiness,  and  with  it 
Nirvana. 

Note  13.  —  The  Buddha  himself  inculcated  his  doc- 
trine on  the  mind  of  his  first  disciples,  who  were  Brah- 
mans  —  that  is,  men  whose  whole  life  had  been  spent 
in  contemplation,  self-denial,  and  strenuous  efforts  to 
attain  Eternal  Truth.    This  fact  alone  explains  how  it 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  83 

was  possible  that  in  the  short  space  of  five  months 
these  men  should  so  completely  master  the  doctrine, 
that  they,  too,  could  be  teachers. 

Note  14.  —  The  alms-bowl  of  the  Buddhist  mendi- 
cant is  an  earthen  or  metal  dish  with  a  straight  handle. 
Each  member  of  the  Brotherhood  is  provided  with  one 
of  these  bowls,  in  which  he  collects  the  daily  food. 
The  Buddha  himself  did  not  infringe  this  rule,  unless 
when  he  was  invited  to  take  his  meal  in  the  house  of 
one  of  his  lay  adherents. 

Note  15.  —  In  the  remote  ages,  of  which  we  do  not 
possess  the  faintest  historical  record,  perfectly  enlight- 
ened Buddhas  appeared  preaching  the  saving  truth, 
for  salvation  is  forever  within  reach  of  erring  guilty 
suffering  humanity,  and  man  is  never  in  want  of  the 
means,  if  he  is  but  sincere  in  his  effort  to  attain  the 
truth.  Whenever  the  pure  doctrine  is  in  danger  of 
falling  into  decay  and  sensuality,  a  new  Buddha  is 
born.  The  last  of  these,  the  light  of  our  own  age,  is 
this  very  Buddha  Gotama  whose  followers  we  are. 

Note  16.  —  No  member  of  the  Brotherhood  is 
allowed  to  go  unattended  into  the  house  of  a  woman. 

Note  17.  —  The  Blessed  One  is  a  frequently  used 
epithet  for  the  Buddha.  There  exists  a  large  number 
of  similar  terms,  all  expressive  of  some  quality  of  the 
Buddha.  In  this  way  he  is  called  Sakyamuni,  ''the 
Wise"  of  the  tribe  of  the  Sakyas;  the  "Holy,"  because 
he  is  free  from  the  will  to  live,  from  all  passions  and 
desires;  the  "Victorious,"  because  he  has  won  perfec- 
tion after  a  long  and  continuous  struggle  with  error 
and  earthly  concupiscence;  the  "Enlightened,"  because 
the  full  light  of  truth  rose  within  him  under  the  Bodhi- 
tree;  the  "Conqueror,"  because  he  has  overcome  Mara 


84  A    BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

the  tempter  and  prince  of  this  world,  of  sensual  love, 
of  death  and  darkness;  and  finally,  the  ''Light  of  the 
World,"  because,  instead  of  passing  away  out  of 
existence  aft^r  having  gained  Nirvana,  he  preached 
the  saving  truth,  and  tnade  its  light  to  shine  over  all 
the  world. 

Note  18.  —  Buddhists  even  now,  though  there  has 
not  been  any  active  missionary  labour  for  a  space  of 
1500  years,  far  outnumber  the  supporters  of  all 
Christian  Churches  collectively,  for  they  amount  to  450 
millions  —  that  is,  a  full  third  part  of  the  whole  of 
mankind.  A  century  before  the  birth  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  Buddhist  apostles  had  already  pushed  their 
way  as  far  west  as  the  Caucasus,  and  many  brothers 
and  lay  adherents  w^ere  living  at  Alexandria.  There 
can  therefore  be  hardly  any  doubt  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  whose  doctrines  in  their  most  essential  parts 
are  identical  with  those  of  the  Buddha,  must  have  been 
a  disciple  of  Buddhist  mendicants  from  the  age  of 
twelve  to  thirty,  a  space  of  time  totally  unaccounted 
for  by  the  Gospels,  and  that  under  their  guidance  he 
must  have  attained  Arahatship.  Later  on  he  returned 
to  his  native  country  to  preach  the  doctrine  to  his 
people. 

In  course  of  time  his  doctrine  became  distorted  and 
mixed  up  with  many  errors  from  the  Old  Testament  of 
the  Jews.  The  fundamental  tenets,  however,  and  the 
personal  character  of  the  founder  of  Christianity  are  of 
Buddhist  origin.  Jesus  was  an  Arahat  who  had 
attained  Nirvana,  and  his  name  will  always  be  revered 
by  every  Buddhist.  But  now  that  the  European 
descendants  of  the  Aryans  have  reached  the  age  of 
maturity,  and  are  able  to  comprehend  the  pure  un- 
adulterated truth  of  the  Buddha,  his  doctrine  will  be- 
come the  religion  of  the  future,  and  effect  in  Europe 
a  total  change  of  views  and  ideas,  such  as  has  not  been 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  85 

witnessed  since  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

Note  19.  —  Ananda  was  the  personal  attendant  of 
the  Buddha  from  the  time  of  his  joining  the  Brother- 
hood. He  was  the  disciple  beloved  best  by  his  master, 
because  of  his  childlike  simplicity  and  the  affectionate 
gentleness  of  his  disposition. 

Note  20.  —  Tathagata  means  one  who,  like  his  pre- 
decessors, has  come  into  the  world  to  bring  the  true 
doctrine  again  to  light.  The  term  is  used  by  the 
Buddha  whenever  he  is  speaking  of  himself. 

Note  21.  —  Transfiguration  is  one  of  the  character- 
istics of  Buddhaship,  and  may  sometimes  take  place 
with  Arahats  and  saints.  Similar  instances  are  on 
record  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi, 
and  other  saints  of  the  Western  Church. 

Note  22.  —  It  is  our  ignorance  of  the  true  nature  of 
man;  of  the  universe,  and  of  the  moral  order  of  the 
world,  which  involves  us  over  and  over  again  in  error 
and  wrong,  for  which  we  have  to  suffer  in  succeeding 
re-incarnations.  It  is  our  earthly  blindness  that  makes 
us  desirous  of  things  useless  in  themselves,  and  often 
productive  of  pain  rather  than  pleasure;  makes  us 
prize  highly  what  is  intrinsically  worthless,  grieve  for 
what  is  not  deserving  our  interest,  and  delight  in  what 
is  injurious,  nay,  even  fatal  to  us.  It  is  our  want  of 
true  insight  which  makes  us  set  our  affections  on  things 
that  are  perishable,  gets  us  entangled  in  quarrels  and 
difficulties  in  the  fierce  struggle  for  existence,  and 
makes  us  lose  sight  altogether  of  our  true  felicity. 
Thus  our  whole  existence  becomes  an  endless  chain  of 
desires  unrealized,  of  deceptions  and  disappointments, 
of  passions  and  longings  ungratified,  or  which,  if 
gratified  for  a  short  time,  return  with  renewed  violence, 


86  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

destroying  our  bodily  and  mental  strength,  and  keep- 
ing us  in  a  continual  state  of  discomfort  and  suffering. 

Note  23.  —  The  term  'Svill  to  live,"  in  the  Buddhist 
sense  of  the  word,  does  not  merely  imply  what  a 
European  understands  by  "conscious  will,"  but  rather 
that  instinctive  life-love  which,  partly  consciously, 
partly  unconsciously  to  themselves,  is  inherent  in  all 
living  beings,  animals,  and  plants,  as  well  as  man.  In 
this  term,  ''will  to  live,"  or  craving  for  existence,  are 
summed  up  all  those  functions,  powers,  desires,  in- 
clinations and  disinclinations  which  tend  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  life,  and  the  acquisition  of  comfort  and 
enjoyment. 

The  European  reader,  desirous  of  entering  into  the 
true  spirit  of  the  doctrine,  ought  carefully  to  bear  in 
mind  the  exact  meaning  of  the  term. 

Note  24.  —  The  non-Buddhistic  European  reader 
will  not  easily  discover  the  rich  mine  of  knowledge 
and  religio-philosophic  truth  underlying  these  few  sen- 
tences, and  it  is  of  the  utmost  necessity  that  they 
should  be  the  subject  of  the  deepest  reflection.  No 
one  can  expect  to  arrive  at  a  thorough  knowledge 
about  the  true  nature  of  existence  and  the  doctrine  of 
the  Buddha  unless  he  has  fully  entered  into  the  spirit 
and  meaning  of  the  four  "Grand  Truths,"  and  has 
made  them  quite  his  own. 

Note  25.  —  Most  Europeans,  not  excepting  many 
learned  men,  have  very  incorrect  notions  about  Nir- 
vana. Nirvana  literally  means,  "being  extinct," 
"gone  out,"  like  the  flame  of  a  lamp  blown  out  by  the 
wind,  or  gone  out  for  want  of  oil.  This  led  to  the 
erroneous  idea  that  Nirvana  is  the  same  as  annihila- 
tion. Nirvana  signifies,  on  the  contrary,  a  state  of 
supreme  moral  perfection  impossible  to  be  conceived 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  87 

by  any  one  who  still  wears  the  fetters  of  earthly 
desires. 

What  then  is  extinct  —  "blown  out"  —  in  Nirvana? 

Extinct  is  the  lust  of  life,  the  craving  for  existence 
and  enjoyment;  extinct  are  the  delusions  and  allure- 
ments of  life  and  its  sensations  and  desires ;  blown  out 
is  the  flickering  light  of  self,  of  individuality  (soul) . 

True,  the  Arahat,  the  perfect  saint,  though  he  has 
reached  Nirvana,  still  continues  living  in  the  body, 
because  the  body  with  all  its  powers  is  the  natural 
consequence  of  his  former  errors,  the  result  of  his  do- 
ings in  a  former  life,  and  these,  having  begun  to  take 
effect,  cannot  be  arrested.  But  as  soon  as  the  Karma 
of  his  former  life  is  exhausted  the  Arahat  dies,  and 
nothing  being  left  to  bring  about  a  new  birth  (neither 
Tanha  nor  Karma),  the  Arahat  passes  away  into 
eternal  rest  and  peace,  into  Parinirvana. 

Parinirvana,  in  the  sense  of  other  religions  and  of 
scientific  materialism,  does  certainly  mean  ''annihila- 
tion," for  nothing  whatever  remains  of  the  constituents 
of  human  life.  But  from  the  point  of  view  taken  by 
the  Arahat,  it  is  the  world  with  all  its  appearances  — 
that  is  nought,  is  illusion,  error ;  whilst  Parinirvana  is 
the  entering  into  eternity,  the  everlasting  the  ever- 
true  existence  where  all  suffering,  individuality, 
separate  being,  and  transmigration  are  at  an  end. 

Note  26.  —  The  European  student  of  Buddhism 
must  be  repeatedly  reminded  not  to  confoimd  "the 
will  to  live"  —  that  is,  the  desire  for  life,  the  cleaving 
to  existence  —  with  the  "conscious  will"  or  so-called 
"free-will."  Conscious  will  is  but  a  fraction  of  the 
whole  "will  to  live"  —  namely,  such  portion  as  passes 
through  the  organ  of  the  brain,  which  is  the  vehicle  of 
consciousness;  but  the  greater  portion  of  this  "will 
to  live"  never  reaches  consciousness  in  plants  and  ani- 
mals, and  but  imperfectly  in  men.    It  shows  itself  as 


88  A  BUDDHIST  CATECHISM 

a  mere  blind  instinct,  an  inveterate  cleaving  to 
existence,  an  effort  to  grasp  at  everything  that  makes 
life  pleasant  and  to  avoid  whatever  hurts  and  en- 
dangers it.  Many  so-called  pessimists,  for  instance, 
who  pretend  to  despise  existence,  and  whose  conscious 
will  actually  turns  away  from  life,  are  frequently 
under  the  delusion  of  having  overcome  the  "will 
to  live."  But  such  is  not  the  case;  their 
selfishness,  attachment  to  pleasure  and  enjoyment, 
their  want  of  self-abnegation,  gives  evidence  that 
the  "unconscious  lust  of  life"  is  still  alive 
within  them,  and  will  lead  them  to  a  fresh 
incarnation.  The  real  extinction  of  the  will  shows 
itself  in  perfect  unselfishness  and  self-denial,  in 
patience  under  suffering,  in  the  absence  of  all  passions 
(anger,  hatred,  envy,  ill-will,  covetousness,  sensuality, 
pride,  avarice,  vanity) ;  in  true  equanimity,  sincere 
charity  to  all  living  beings,  and  in  the  renunciation  of 
reward  for  good  deeds  either  in  this  world  or  any 
other  (Heaven  or  Paradise) . 

Note  27.  —  All  that  we  are  is  the  result  of  what  we 
have  done;  it  is  founded  on  our  doing;  it  is  made  up 
of  our  doing.  If  a  man  acts  with  evil  mind  (will,  pur- 
pose) ,  pain  follows  him  as  the  wheel  follows  the  foot  of 
the  horse  that  draws  the  cart.  But  if  a  man  acts  with  a 
pure  mind,  happiness  follows  him  like  his  shadow. 
(Dhammapada.) 

Note  28.  —  It  is  most  difiBcult  to  put  in  few  words  to 
the  European  student,  grown  up  in  totally  different 
ideas,  what  is  meant  by  Karma.  Oral  instruction  is 
indispensable  to  a  full  explanation. 

Note  29.  —  By  "creation"  the  Buddhist  only  under- 
stands the  renewal  of  a  world  which  has  undergone 
destruction.  Such  destruction  is  brought  about  either 
by  water  or  fire,  or  similar  elementary  forces,  and  is 


A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  89 

always  localized  and  confined  to  an  inconsiderable 
part  of  the  universe.  Its  real  and  original  cause,  how- 
ever, is  the  accumulated  guilt  or  demerit  of  living 
beings,  their  unfavourable  Karma,  whilst  the  renewal 
of  these  perished  worlds  is  owing  to  favourable  Karma. 
Decay  and  renewal  of  heavenly  bodies  are  of  constant 
recurrence  in  the  immensity  of  space.  Modern 
European  physical  science,  as  far  as  the  outward  re- 
sult is  concerned,  takes  the  same  view  as  put  by  Bud- 
dhists for  the  last  2400  years. 

Note  30.  —  Stem  courageously  the  streami  of  pas- 
sion ;  drive  out  concupiscence,  0  Samana.  When  once 
you  have  perceived  the  utter  vanity  of  all  transient 
things,  you  have  arrived  at  the  knowledge  of  what  is 
eternal.     (Dhammapada.) 

Note  31.  —  Those  who  remain  living  in  the  world 
can.  at  best,  attain  the  third  stage  of  holiness,  of 
''Anagamin."  At  their  death  they  are  re-born  in  one 
of  the  higher  regions  in  the  worlds  of  light,  to  pass 
over  from  thence,  after  a  longer  or  shorter  period,  into 
Nirvana.  It  is,  however  extremely  difiScult  for  any 
one  living  in  the  world  to  become  "Anagamin,"  as  he 
is  exposed  to  far  too  many  temptations. 

Note  32.  —  In  this  the  first  principal  vow  are  not 
only  included  men,  but  all  living  beings,  and  for  that 
reason  no  one  who  intentionally  hurts,  kills  or  tor- 
ments an  animal  can  be  a  follower  of  the  Buddha,  or 
have  a  favourable  re-birth. 

Note  33.  —  It  is  only  the  Brotherhood  who  keep  this 
vow  to  its  full  extent.  For  the  lay  adherent  it  simply 
means  to  abstain  from  spirituous  liquors.  The 
Upasaka  may  therefore  take  wine  and  beer  in  modera- 
tion. 


90  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

Note  34.  —  The  sensual  man  who,  to  his  own  dis- 
quiet, is  animated  by  the  lust  of  life  and  by  earthly 
passions,  is  very  much  mistaken  in  imagining  that  the 
gratification  of  the  senses  affords  any  happiness. 
Satisfaction  is  of  very  short  duration,  and  desire  will 
return  with  ever-increasing  impetuosity.  The  gratifi- 
cation of  one  desire  leads  to  the  birth  of  another,  and 
final  satisfaction  is  impossible.  Add  to  this  the  inevi- 
table disappointments,  failures,  the  strife,  annoyances 
and  disputes  arising  from  contests  with  our  fellow- 
men,  who  are  pursuing  the  same  end.  This  incessant 
warfare  can  only  be  kept  up  at  the  expense  of  mind 
and  body.  The  more  we  give  full  sway  to  our  passions 
the  more  they  increase,  and  the  more  swiftly  our  men- 
tal and  physical  powers,  the  only  means  for  enjoy- 
ment, decline. 

Increase  of  concupiscence  is  therefore  attended  by 
decrease  of  the  means  for  its  gratification.  This  is  the 
inexorable  law  of  Nature,  which  avenges  such  per- 
versity. Whoever  seriously  reflects  must  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  is  most  foolish  to  run  after  sensual 
pleasure  and  earthly  wealth,  which  cannot  afford  any 
real  happiness. 

Truly  does  the  Dhanamapada  say:  "What  place  for 
merriment,  what  place  for  joy,  is  this  world,  which  is 
only  kept  going  by  the  flames  of  sensual  lusts?  You 
walk  in  darkness  for  ever  unless  you  seek  for  the  light 
which  alone  can  dissipate  it." 

Note  35.  —  Not  in  infinite  space,  not  in  the  depths 
of  the  ocean,  nor  in  the  far  recesses  of  the  mountains 
will  you  find  a  refuge  from  the  consequences  of  your 
evil  deeds.    (Dhammapada.) 

Note  36.  —  "He  has  abused  me,  he  has  robbed  me, 
he  has  ruined  me."  With  those  who  harbour  such 
thoughts,  hatred  will  never  cease ;  for  hatred  does  not 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  91 

yield  to  hatred;  hatred  yields  to  love.     This  is  the 
moral  law  of  the  universe.    (Dhammapada.) 

Note  37.  —  When  a  man  has  come  fully  to  know  and 
understand  the  "Four  Grand  Truths,"  he  will  no  longer 
crave  for  earthly  happiness,  nor  for  existence  in  a 
better  world,  but  only  long  for  deliverance,  for  eternal 
rest  and  peace;  for  as  long  as  individuality,  "self," 
is  not  overcome  and  vanquished,  suffering,  birth,  and 
death  are  not  yet  overcome.  Not  even  angels  and 
gods  (this  is  the  name  given  to  higher  beings  in  a 
higher  world)  are  exempt  from  death  and  birth-re- 
newal. Everything  subject  to  change  is  subject  to 
suffering.  But  when  all  ill-will,  all  desire,  ignorance 
and  individuality  become  extinct  in  Nirvana,  then,  and 
not  till  then,  will  suffering  and  re-incarnation  come  to 
end.  This  is  the  supreme  aim  to  which  the  sage 
aspires. 

Note  38.  —  It  is  written  in  the  sacred  books:  "The 
evil  deed  is  not  like  new  milk,  which  quickly  clots. 
It  is  like  a  smouldering  fire  glowing  under  the  ashes 
till  its  time  is  come,  then,  suddenly  bursting  into 
flames,  it  destroys  the  illusory  edifice  of  happiness  in 
which  the  evil-doer  fancied  himself  secure." 

The  inequality  of  the  outward  condition  of  men, 
the  seeming  injustice  of  their  fate,  which  often  re- 
duces the  righteous  man  to  a  state  of  severe  suffering, 
whilst  the  wicked  is  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  every 
earthly  happiness,  is  irrefutable  evidence  of  the  moral 
necessity  of  re-incarnation  to  every  one  who  does 
not  wilfully  shut  his  eyes  to  the  truth.  No  thought- 
ful man  can  deny  that  this  universe  is  founded  on 
eternal  justice.  Consequently,  the  origin  of  suffer- 
ing must  be  guilt,  and  if  this  guilt  cannot  be  traced 
in  this  life,  it  must  have  been  committed  in  a  former 
birth,  whilst  well-being  and  joy  must  be  the  fruit  of 
former  merit. 


92  A  BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

Nevertheless,  the  happy  man  must  not  be  elated; 
a  change  may  be  close  at  hand:  for  except  a  man  is 
for  ever  bent  on  increasing  his  merit  by  good  and 
worthy  deeds,  he  will  have  to  suffer  bitterly  for  his 
thoughtlessness,  whilst  another,  weighed  down  at 
present  with  care  and  sorrow,  may  advance  towards 
a  joyful  re-incarnation. 

Note  39.  —  The  almost  universal  belief  in  an  "im- 
mortal soul"  within  us  —  that  is  to  say,  in  an  entity 
limited  but  eternal,  and  endowed  with  consciousness, 
arises  chiefly  from  the  selfish  craving  for  personal 
imnjortality.  It  is  a  superstition  forming  part  of  the 
delusive  "will  to  live,"  and  is  one  of  the  ten  fetters 
which  rivet  man  to  life  and  prevent  his  deliverance. 

Note  40.  —  To  prove  to  the  uninitiated  reader  how 
a  man  can  to  a  certain  degree  become  quite  another 
without  losing  his  identity,  it  will  suffice  to  point  out 
to  him  the  difference  in  the  stages  of  life.  The  old 
man  is  quite  other  than  the  infant,  and  none  the  less 
both  are  one  and  the  same  person. 

Note  41.  —  Some  thirty  years  ago,  when  the  French 
(Roman  Catholic)  missionaries  asked  leave  of  the 
king  of  Siam  to  have  a  settlement  in  his  country,  it 
was  granted  with  the  greatest  readiness  and  kindness. 
And  the  king,  moreover,  gave  the  missionaries  a  piece 
of  land  and  wished  them  all  possible  success.  The 
attempt  proved  a  failure;  no  creditable  converts  were 
made.  But  there  were  some  of  another  sort  who  tried 
to  show  their  Christian  zeal  by  defiling  the  images  of 
a  Buddhist  temple  close  by.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
village  belonging  to  the  temple  complained  to  the 
king,  but  he  advised  them  to  keep  quiet,  to  put  up  the 
images  in  some  other  place,  and  to  avoid  any  discus- 
sion, for,  he  added,  "Religion  stands  too  high  to  be 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  93 

made  the  subject  of  such  petty  quarreling  with  for- 
eigners." 

When  the  English  Protestant  missionary,  Edkins, 
went  to  see  a  Buddhist  monastery  in  China,  the 
Superior  received  him  with  great  kindness,  and  even 
offered  him  gratuitously  a  piece  of  land  attached  to 
the  monastery  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  Christian 
Church.  Hundreds  of  similar  instances  can  be  men- 
tioned. 

By  Christians  this  is  called  apathetic  indifference, 
by  Buddhists  tolerance,  and  is  the  sentiment  of  kind- 
ness enjoined  by  the  Buddha  himself,  even  towards 
non-believers. 

Note  42.  —  To  African  savages  telegraphy,  for  in- 
stance, is  a  miracle;  Europeans  know  that  it  rests  on 
natural  laws.  It  is  the  same  with  phenomena  which 
we  are  not  able  to  explain. 

Note  43.  —  All  the  European  Orientalists  are  unani- 
mous in  their  admiration  of  the  extraordinary  powers 
of  memory  of  Indian  Brahmans.  Max  Miiller,  one  of 
the  greatest  living  authorities  in  Oriental  lore,  main- 
tains that  if  the  collective  manuscripts  and  printed 
copies  of  the  Brahman  Scriptures  were  suddenly 
destroj^ed,  they  could  easily  be  replaced  again,  word 
for  word  and  syllable  for  syllable,  with  the  help  of 
the  Brahmans,  who  know  them  perfectly  by  heart. 

Note  44.  —  Buddhism  has  no  mission  to  teach 
physical  science.  It  has  nothing  to  do  w^ith  the  out- 
ward qualities  of  things,  but  with  their  innermost  be- 
ing, and  therefore  its  position  with  regard  to  science 
is  neither  hostile  nor  dependent. 

The  educated  Buddhist  is  not  prejudiced  against 
natural  science.  He  carefully  examines  the  conclu- 
sions advanced,  uninfluenced  by  any  religious  scruples, 
and  he  adopts  those  which  seem  to  him  to  be  correct. 


94  A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM 

European  learned  men  have  for  this  reason  always 
met  with  kindness  and  courtesy  in  Buddhist  countries. 

The  Buddhist  knows  that  science,  like  everything 
else,  is  liable  to  change ;  that  it  is  progressing,  and  able 
to  impart  much  usseful  knowledge  not  taught  in  the 
times  of  the  Buddha.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is  aware 
that  no  progress,  no  discovery,  can  be  made  in  contra- 
diction to  the  Buddha's  teaching.  He  looks  on  science 
as  a  terrestrial  sister  of  the  eternal  truth. 

Science  enlightens  the  understanding  and  enables 
the  mind  to  receive  higher  knowledge,  but  the  eternal 
truth  alone,  taught  by  the  Buddha,  leads  to  full  light 
and  deliverance. 

He  who  possesses  perfect  knowledge  of  the  "Four 
Grand  Truths"  can  dispose  with  science,  whilst  the 
most  comprehensive  scientific  learning  is  yet,  from  the 
standpoint  of  higher  knowledge,  ignorance  (avidya), 
because  it  cannot  lead  to  deliverance  from  suffering 
and  re-birth. 

Note  45.  —  The  word  "Sangha"  has  been  rendered 
by  "Brotherhood  of  the  Elect,"  though  the  term  does 
not  quite  correspond  with  the  original  meaning. 
"Sangha"  literally  signifies,  "the  Brotherhood  of  all 
the  Bhikshus  or  Samanas,"  the  true  disciples  and 
followers  of  the  Buddha. 

Both  Bhikshu  and  Samana  are  terms  for  which  no 
adequate  translation  can  be  found.  The  literal  trans- 
lation of  Bhikshu  is  "beggar,"  but  not  found  in  the 
modern  European  sense  of  the  word,  where  it  implies 
something  low  and  degrading.  Samana  is  one  who,  for 
the  sake  of  moral  development,  abstains  from  every 
sensual  enjoyment  —  in  point  of  fact,  an  ascetic.  The 
simplest  rendering  of  Bhikshu  would  perhaps  have 
been  "begging  monk,  or  mendicant";  but  this,  too, 
might  easily  have  led  to  some  misunderstanding:  for 
the  Bhikshus  differ  from  Christian  mendicants  inas- 


A   BUDDHIST   CATECHISM  95 

much  as  they  do  not  take  the  vow  of  blind  obedience 
to  their  superiors,  and  in  this  that  their  vows  are  not 
irrevocable.  Some  Europeans  have  rendered  the  word 
Bhikshu  by  "priest,"  but  this  is  far  from  correct,  for 
the  Bhikshus  possess  no  sacerdotal  privileges.  The 
word  "Elect"  was  finally  adopted  as  the  nearest 
approach  to  the  original  meaning  of  the  word.  The 
sacred  books  frequently  speak  of  the  Bhikshus  and 
the  Samanas  as  the  "Ariya"  —  that  is,  the  nobles,  the 
"Elect,"  a  term  indicative  of  their  calling  and  their 
position  w^th  reference  to  the  great  mass  of  the  laity. 

Note  46.  —  Of  course  the  women  members  of  the 
Order  (Bhikshunis)  live  in  separate  Viharas.  They 
are  not  allowed  to  live  alone  in  hermitages,  and  are 
always  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Bhikshus. 

Note  47.  —  The  bestowing  of  alms  on  the  Brother- 
hood is  no  obligatory  duty  of  the  layman.  He  gives  of 
his  own  free  will,  and  because  he  thereby  gains  merit 
and  promotes  his  ovra  welfare.  Buddhism  teaches 
that  it  is  not  the  Bhikshu  who  should  be  grateful  for 
gifts  received  from  the  Upasaka,  but  the  latter  to  the 
first,  because  the  recipient  affords  the  donor  an  oppor- 
tunity to  gain  merit  by  a  charitable  act. 


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